(The Pierce County Recreation Board discussed and/or voted on the following during their quarterly meeting October 27.)
New 911 center: County Manager Raphel Maddox told members of the advisory committee the county will build a new 911 center in 2026. (See related story.)
Additional dispatchers: The advisory committee discussed the need for adding additional dispatchers. Chairman Chris Wright briefly discussed dispatching concerns raised by the sheriff at the October county commission meeting. “Even if we had the best 911 center in the state, you would still want to be better,” he said. Wright said additional dispatchers could help like in the recent situation where there was a double homicide and two medical emergencies including one requiring a medical helicopter which all occurred at roughly the same time. Wright said 911 dispatching resources were strained to the max.
Equipment upgrades: The advisory committee recommended purchasing new equipment for the center, including the new Next Generation 911 software system, a new recorder for 911, upgrades to the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and the addition of a managed emergency voice operations (MEVO) system. The CAD system upgrade would be a way for all surrounding counties to be on one uniform system. The MEVO system would be used in a situation like Hurricane Helene when all communications are down.
Officer elections: The advisory committee tabled the appointment of a chairman, vice chairman and treasurer to the January meeting.
By laws update: The advisory board postponed updating the bylaws.
Next meetings: A called meeting will be held 9 a.m. Nov. 20. The next regular quarterly meeting will be held 8 a.m. Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at the Southeast Georgia Regional Agriculture Center (SEGARAC) on College Avenue. Additional meetings are planned for April 21, July 21 and October 21.
