Effingham County commissioners have given the go-ahead to Brunson Construction to build the county’s 911 center.

Once the final contracts are signed and the permits are approved, the 9,500 square foot building will go up along Courthouse Road. The building will cost approximately $1.86 million.

Commissioners, at their March 18 meeting, had more questions about the roof design of the 911 center. County Administrative Assistant Adam Kobek said he addressed Commissioner Bucky Sapp’s concerns about the roof design with architect Forrest Lott.

“He feels they have the best design,” Kobek said. “They feel confident in this roof system.”

The 911 center will have a membrane roof and it will be sloped 23 inches from front to back. The building is designed to withstand hurricane-force winds in excess of 150 mph.

“We wanted to build a building to wind-load standards,” interim County Administrator David Crawley said. “This type of building gets us to that point.”

Kobek said Lott’s research into metal roofs in such situations would increase the wind load. A hurricane tore the roof and the top story off a similar building with a metal roof in Florida.

The plans call for a parapet roof with a membrane roof to go under that.

“When was the last time a class 5 hurricane hit Effingham County?” Sapp asked.

“I just have a problem with this built up roof. If you check the track record, the track record isn’t very good.”

County fire chief Val Ashcraft said the design of the roof has eliminated the number of places where there are entrances on the roof. Those penetrations, he said, are what cause roof systems to fail.

“We need a wind resistant building and to keep the water out as much as possible,” he said.

The roof will have a 15-year warranty. Kobek said an extended warranty could be obtained for the roof for five years.

Inside, the 911 call center will have a training room and space for nine terminals for dispatchers. Construction is expected to take 11 months once it begins.