RFP Staff
♦Thursday afternoon, Rowan Free Press attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Rowan County Telecommunications Center at 1090 Corporate Center Drive in Salisbury. A large turnout of folks from both the County and the city of Salisbury attended, including County Commissioners Jim Sides, Craig Peirce, Mike Caskey, and Chad Mitchell. Also in attendance were Mayor Paul Woodson and Councilman Maggie Blackwell of Salisbury, Sheriff Kevin Auten, Salisbury Chief-of-Police Rory Collins, and Rob Robinson, Director, Rowan County Telecommunications. This 9-1-1 center is a large high-tech state-of-the art dispatch hub, consolidating dispatchers from Rowan County and the City of Salisbury.
What follows are the opening remarks of Rowan County Commission Chairman Jim Sides:
The story of how 9-1-1 started is a very interesting one. I will not go all the way back to the beginning and tell you the whole story, because that would take a long time.
A man by the name of Thomas B. Norling, a historian and retired communication engineer with over 40 years experience in the telephone field provides a great history online of the history and development of 9-1-1.
Based on the history he provides, it was on Friday, January 12, 1968 that AT&T announced their designation of 911 as a universal emergency number at a press conference in the Washington, DC office of Indiana Representative Ed Roush, who had championed support for one number.
The first implementation of 9-1-1 took place very soon thereafter in the little town of Haleyville, Alabama, spearheaded by Bob Gallagher, president of the independent Alabama Telephone company.
Since those early days, much has happened all across the United States in an effort enchance fire, police, rescue and all types of emergency communications.
Needless to say, we are extremely proud of what Rowan County has done over the years to provide a high level of safety and security to its citizens via our local 9-1-1 system.
The building you will tour today is truly a testament to the commitment we have in this county to provide the best protection possible to our citizens.
This building is the culmination of many years of dreaming and planning by our management and planning staff. This 9-1-1 center will be a showcase of some of the most state of the art technology to be found anywhere in North Carolina and beyond. To my knowledge, we have spared no expense in an effort to prepare Rowan County for any emergency communication needs for many years to come.
I could not begin to thank everyone who has been involved in this long awaited and much needed project. For everyone of you present today, and any who are not here, who had any part in what you see before you today, on behalf of the Rowan County Board of Commissioner, we sincerely thank you. While much work is yet to be done over the next few weeks, you are to be commended for a job well done.
I regret that our County Manager, Gary Page could not be here for this event today. This building is another shining example of great service he has provided to the citizens of this county for the last five years.
I would like to read you a few talking points he would have made had he been here:
- This project fulfills a dream of the past 20 years to truly consolidate 9-1-1 under one roof.
- This building will allow 9-1-1 dispatchers to have the space available for expansion, and free-up office space in the Rufty building downtown for other Court or Sheriff related functions.
- The building project represents $2.4 million dollars of the full $12 million dollar 9-1-1 equipment upgrade.
- This project, the 9-1-1 consolidation and other improvements, will allow for the construction of three new radio towers that will eliminate many of the radio dead spots in the county. This will not only make life safer for citizen victims, but will make police, fire, rescue and emergency staff safer through better communications.
- The building project and 9-1-1 consolidation project is being completed with a voter approved sales tax and various grant funds, and not a property tax increase.
Again, thank you to staff, the architects, the contractors and anyone else who consulted or assisted in this project.
