Volusia County formally dedicated its much-anticipated Emergency Operations and Communications Center on February 27, 2013, opening the doors to the $21 million, 43,000 square-foot-facility recently completed by Ajax Building Corporation.

The center is scheduled to be fully operational April 4, after the county’s Emergency Management Division and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Offices’ 911 dispatch center have completely moved in.

Designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, EF3 tornado and large missile impacts, the single-story building was constructed using concrete tilt panels and a steel superstructure. Other features include an emergency operations room to accommodate 90 support personnel during disasters, a state-of-the-art news media broadcast room, citizens information center, ham radio center, 75-foot backup radio tower, backup generators, helicopter pad, kitchen and bunk rooms for men and women.

“This facility will enable us to work much smarter every day — and especially during times of disaster-recovery,” said Emergency Management Director Charles Craig. “Many thanks to the project team members from Ajax Building Corporation and Schenkel Shultz Architecture for all of their hard work and dedication in building us a state-of-the-art Center for which all of us in Volusia County can truly be proud.”

Meeting rooms allow for key disaster response officials to convene to make strategic decisions necessary to protect the public during emergencies like hurricanes, civil unrest, wildfires and mass casualty incidents. The lobby includes bullet-resistant interior walls.

As construction manager, Ajax built the project in 12 months and maximized the local participation, hiring more than 93 percent of the subcontractors from the area. Orlando-based Schenkel Shultz Architecture designed the project.

“This facility is a tremendous asset for the community — and a rewarding project for Ajax to manage,” said Bill Byrne, Ajax president. “Projects like this one have an undeniable positive impact on the community and we are proud to have completed it on time and on budget.”

Located in west Daytona Beach at 3825 Tiger Bay Road, it replaces a 37-year-old a “bunker style” cramped and crowded building that was about one-fifth the size.

The newest emergency operations and sheriff’s communications center in Florida also is the “greenest.” Innovative design processes include computerized energy and air management that can be monitored and adjusted offsite over the Internet, green housekeeping, waste reduction and a recycling program.

Thermal energy storage contributes to significant energy cost savings. During off-peak hours, one chiller “makes ice” while the other serves the building’s cooling demands. During on-peak hours, when electricity is more expensive, only one chiller is required to run while melting the ice in the storage tanks to meet the cooling needs. Lower kilowatt demand equates to a sizable rebate from the utility company.

Other sustainable construction features included harvesting and recycling trees removed initially when the site was cleared, sourcing 20 percent of the building materials locally and recycling or salvaging 75 percent of the construction waste. Irrigation will be removed after one year, when native plantings have been established.

The design team will pursue Silver LEED certification of the facility. The project already has been recognized for attaining three Green Globes^® for New Construction (NC) under the Green Building Initiative.

Ajax joined in the celebration at Lynch Elementary School on May 31, officially cutting the ribbon to dedicate the new $16.9 million campus in St. Petersburg, Florida. While students have occupied much of the Pinellas County school since January, Ajax has recently completed playfields and other finishing touches to wrap up Phase 2, giving administrators a chance to mark the occasion as the academic year comes to a close.

Phase 1, which began when the original building was demolished in September 2010, occurred while students attended classes in an on-site “portable city.” Ajax fast-tracked construction to get six new buildings, totaling nearly 90,000 square feet, completed and another renovated by the 2011 holiday break. In fact, the school prototype was completed two months faster than other facilities of its kind.

“We’re excited to look across our campus and see such a beautiful facility,” noted retiring Principal Lorraine Bigelow. “It’s bittersweet to be leaving just as our new school is complete, but it’s gratifying to know that the students, teachers and families of Lynch Elementary will have such a beautiful place for learning.”

The new campus includes a two-story administration building, resource/art building, cafeteria/multi-purpose building, two-story 16-classroom building, two-story 12-classroom building and storage building. Ajax also renovated one of the two buildings that remain from the original school. Ajax worked with Hoffman Architects in Tarpon Springs on the project.

Reminders of the original Lynch Elementary, built in 1958, were kept to honor the school’s past. While concrete and steel was recycled after demolition, bricks from the building were used in the new center courtyard and the original school letters were used in the second entrance to the school.

“There are considerable challenges to be met while building a new facility in a very short timeframe while elementary-age students attend classes on campus,” said Bill Byrne, Ajax president. “Lynch personnel and Pinellas County Schools administrators were great partners in the process, and we were able to meet those challenges and deliver the facility on time and on budget.”

Following the dedication, Lynch held an Academic Adventure Spring Fling, showcasing student work and other educational activities. Students were welcome to sign up for a Public Library Card, school clubs, receive a Fun Pack full of ideas for learning this summer, see Science Fair project display boards and read student writings, among other activities. Kindergarten registration also was available.