By Becky Long
Publisher
More than four years in the making, Clay County’s 911 Center does not disappoint.
On Friday, the center opening was officially celebrated.
Director Kevin Sellers and his nine member full-time crew relocated from their previously cramped headquarters on Dec. 18, 2024.
“It was a great transition,” said Sellers. “It was smooth, we were ready to go.”
Sellers is also looking to hire additional dispatchers.
The new 911 center is approximately 5,434 square foot. Previously 911 operated out of a 450 square foot space in a shared facility.
The spacious, facility located in the county complex on Courthouse Drive, includes ample space for training, a large room with state of the art computers and monitors, a small lunchroom and a monitor room with hard drives or what was referred to as the “brains” of the system
In addition Mapping Director Tony Tipton has relocated his office to the center.
The new facility was projected to cost $6,282,130, with funding from a combination of legislative funding, state grants and private foundation grants.
Clay County’s 911 Center compares to those in much larger cities across the states, according to NC 911 Executive Director Pokey Harris.