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Board awards $11.68 million contract for Reed Mountain 911 center and fire station expansion
Summary
The board approved a construction contract to expand Reed Mountain Fire Department to add a new 5,500‑square‑foot 911 center, larger living quarters and a radio shop. The award to MB Contractors is contingent on a special‑exception approval to allow government use at the site.
Botetourt County supervisors voted to award a construction contract for the Reed Mountain Fire Department expansion and a new 9‑1‑1 complex to MB Contractors for $11,676,000, contingent on a special‑exception approval at the board’s evening session.
County project staff said the new 9‑1‑1 center will be roughly 5,500 square feet, expand dispatch from four positions to six (with capacity for eight), and include enhanced emergency power infrastructure—three emergency systems with provisions for multiple backup generators. The project also includes approximately 7,200 square feet of new living and sleeping quarters (individual bunk rooms, a kitchen, day room, decontamination and turnout areas), a 2,500‑square‑foot radio shop for site testing and equipment maintenance, and renovation of about 2,900 square feet of the existing station into offices, training space and a gym.
Project manager Rich Evans told the board the expanded communications space is needed because the current dispatch facility cannot accommodate planned new equipment. He said the new building will meet higher construction standards required for an emergency communications facility, particularly for electrical and backup systems.
Evans said the construction contract also includes a $250,000 allowance to maintain an access route for a nearby church during construction. He said staff will coordinate with the contractor and the church to keep the access open as often as practical; construction staging will use a gravel route where needed.
The board made the award contingent on approval of a special exception (SEP) for a government building/function at the existing station site; staff noted there are no prior land‑use approvals for the facility and the SEP will be considered later in the day. Supervisors held a roll call vote; the motion carried with one supervisor absent.
What happens next: MB Contractors will proceed under the contract once the SEP is approved. County staff said the expanded emergency communications center will become the primary 9‑1‑1 center and the current Fincastle center will be retained as a backup. The county did not present a final project completion date during the discussion; design and construction scheduling will follow SEP approval and contractor coordination.
