Emergency Operation Center: The EOC is now under construction. The general contractor is Hickory Construction of Hickory, North Carolina. The project manager from Hickory Construction is Mike Merrill and on-site superintendent is Chris DeAngelo. Both live in western North Carolina (Asheville and Maggie Valley). The facility will be the first of its kind in western North Carolina. There are designated EOC buildings or areas in other western North Carolina Counties. This project will provide 24/7/365 facilities for emergency management employees to attend to natural disasters, community disturbances, or man-made hazards like chemical spills. It will offer Tribal officials an alternative site of government in a command center to make quick decisions and house outside agencies and organizations (state, federal, county, public utility) to join Tribal officials. The command center may also be used for regional emergencies as the Tribe has mutual aid agreements with surrounding counties. The 24-thousand, two story facility will house the Tribe’s Information technology department, which is the power of all data and voice communications. It will also house Tribal Emergency Management, Public Safety, and 911 communications or dispatchers. The facility is also going to be equipped with and FAA approved helicopter landing pad to accommodate emergency air traffic. The landing area will not be a public airport for commercial use to transport visitors to and from the area. The building has been designed to resist seismic disturbances, wind, and other severe weather. It will be self contained to operate independent of electrical services should power not be available. The EOC is planned to be a Gold LEED certified building. Final determination of LEED has not been made and will be determined at the conclusion of construction. Construction is expected to be complete in February 2010. Funding for this project has been received from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Architectural and Engineering Documents: Construction Progress:
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