SAVANNAH, Ga. — Chatham County’s new emergency operations center in Savannah will not be ready for the 2027 hurricane season, and it is costing more. Project leaders told county commissioners Friday that the multi-agency public safety building is now expected to be finished in November 2027, two months later than the September target they gave in April.
Commissioners voted 9-0 to give general contractor Reeves Young an extra $1.1 million through a change order, covering technology updates, soil replacement and building code changes made since work began. With that vote, the price tag for the building now stands at $80 million or more.
The timing matters along the coast. Savannah faces Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms from June through November, with the highest risk from August into October, and the Chatham Emergency Management Agency coordinates the county response from its operations center.
The progress figures did not line up. The program manager told the board that construction was about half done, but the meeting slides put completion at 42 percent in one place and 41 percent as of June in another.
District 1 Commissioner Anthony Noha said the leadership team left out the full cost to taxpayers, including a separate redundant water supply contract also held by Reeves Young. He asked that every added expense beyond the $78.8 million base be tracked and shown in future reports. Commissioner Aaron Whitely backed that request and pressed project leaders on work for minority contractors; a project manager said $8 million in work has gone to local, women- and minority-owned subcontractors so far. The board is chaired by Chester A. Ellis.
Section: More Savannah GA politics news
Filed under: Savannah GA Politics News
