Jeff Davis Parish E911 building renovation project approved

JENNINGS — Jeff Davis Parish is moving forward with renovations at the newly purchased E911 building located at 1604 U.S. 90, just west of Jennings.

The Police Jury on Wednesday approved the low bid of $27,706 from Doucet Builders of Welsh. The project will be paid from the parish’s E911 funds, which are collected from a 911 surcharge on cell and landline phones, according to the parish’s E911 Committee Chairman Tom Kilpatrick.

The Police Jury approved purchasing the 300,000-square-foot E911 building last July from the sheriff’s office. The E911 center will be located in the former Gary Construction Company building and will also house the sheriff’s dispatch.

It is located near the new Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office and regional jail.

Plans for the new building include a meeting room for emergency and disaster planning, which are currently held in the old courtroom on the second floor of the parish courthouse.

The sheriff’s office also plans to house an employee to operate an APHIS system — a virtual visitation for inmates and visitors in the new center. The system will allow inmates and family members to visit without having any direct contact.

The parish’s E911 will reimburse the sheriff’s office for half of 911 employees salaries, health insurance and pension to be billed to E911 on a monthly basis. It will also reimburse the sheriff’s office for half of the 911 director/commander’s salary and benefits.

E911 will also reimburse the sheriff’s office for the 911 director’s mileage for 911 business and for information technology provided by the sheriff on 911 equipment.

In other matters, the Police Jury approved the purchase of a generator under state contract for the new building at a cost of $18,430. The generator will be paid out of E911 funds, Kilpatrick said.

The Police Jury also agreed to buy four chairs in the amount of $5,999 from Lake Area Office Supply and a 100-foot communications tower for $98,880 from Louisiana Radio Communications. All to be paid from E911 funds.

The Police Jury also approved the installation of a fiber optic cable link between the new 911 building and the new regional jail at a cost of $5,870 from United Technology Group.””

Renovations are scheduled to begin soon on a new E911 building located at 1604 U.S. 90, just west of Jennings, near the new Jeff Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office and regional jail. The 300,000-square-foot building will house the parish’s E911 center and the sheriff’s office dispatch.

Special to the American Press

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