Shelby officials snipped the ceremonial ribbon Friday on an 8,000-square-foot 911 communications and emergency operations center that pulls Cleveland County dispatch and incident coordination into a single hub. The $7.8 million building gathers updated telecommunicator stations, dedicated office space and a training room under one roof. Chairman Kevin Gordon, Sheriff Alan Norman and County Manager David Cotton took part in the ceremony, which county leaders described as a major upgrade to public safety capabilities. County officials also shared photos from the event on social media.
Project background and location
The new center, located at 1333 Fallston Road in Shelby, came together after county leaders realized the existing E-911 operations in the courthouse would be displaced by the Justice Center project. As documented in the county's board minutes, Cleveland County entered pre-construction with its construction manager at risk in 2022 to design and site the new communications and emergency operations center. The County Board Minutes outline the pre-construction steps that led to the selection of the Fallston Road location.
What's inside the new center
Inside, the facility features an emergency operations activation center, office space, a training and meeting room and updated telecommunicator stations that support 911 call-taking and dispatch, according to county officials. In a post by Cleveland County Government, leaders said the layout is built to give dispatchers modern equipment and enough room for multi-agency coordination when incidents unfold.
Funding and officials at the ribbon cutting
The project carried a price tag of about $7.8 million, with more than 75% of that covered by state and federal grants, the county reported. "The facility is designed to strengthen emergency response capabilities for residents," the county wrote. On ribbon-cutting day, Chairman Kevin Gordon, Sheriff Alan Norman and County Manager David Cotton were among those on hand for the ceremony. Cleveland County Government also published photos from the event.
What it means for residents
County leaders say having everything under one roof will make it easier to run training exercises, host multi-agency briefings and keep modern dispatch technology up to date in a single space. Cleveland County's department listings also place the E-911 communications and EMS offices on Fallston Road and include non-emergency contact information for residents who want more details. The Cleveland County Departments page lists the county services housed at the site.
Officials cast the ribbon cutting as the finish line for a project years in the making and said the new center will help the county handle storms, large-scale incidents and everyday emergency calls more efficiently. County leaders added that they will roll out operational transition details to residents through the county's usual communications channels.
