Construction on Flathead County's consolidated 911 center is on schedule and under budget, an official says.

"It's going well. We're on schedule," said Mark Peck, the project manager and Flathead County Office of Emergency Services director. "We're well within the budget."

Peck said he expects the building will be completed by Dec. 15, or about two weeks sooner than an earlier target date of Dec. 31.

Kalispell construction firm Swank Enterprises, which was contracted in April to build the facility for $3.3 million, already has begun substantial work on the center's exterior.

In addition to that $3.3 million, land costs, impact fees, design fees, furnishings, communications equipment and infrastructure plus contingency funds bring the project's total budget to just under the $6.1 million, documents show.

"Unless something catastrophic happens with that building, we're going to come in at less. That's our hope," said Peck, who has had some cost estimates as low as $5.3 million.

While there have been some minor setbacks, these are problems normal to any construction site and have not derailed the schedule or run up costs, Peck said.

For example, an area subcontractor doing brickwork was replaced this week. But problems with the company's work - which was cosmetic, not structural - were caught in time and brickwork won't have to be redone, Peck said.

Last November, Flathead County voters narrowly approved a bond issue of up to $6.9 million to build and equip the 11,800-square-foot 911 center in northwest Kalispell.

If the total cost had reached $6.9 million, that would have translated into a $12.48 annual increase in property taxes on a $200,000 house.

But the bond amount will be adjusted to reflect the actual costs and taxes will be decreased accordingly, Peck said.

The six-member 911 board agreed this month to purchase a mobile backup facility, which is expected to be less than $350,000 and is covered by the 911 center bond.

A mobile facility could be used to respond to major incidents as well as backup should the primary facility fail.

"This trailer could move up, handle dispatch for that area, and take that weight off the main dispatch center," said Peck. "It gives us a lot more flexibility. It can support the cities. It's a countywide asset."

The new building is part of a plan to merge the county's four emergency dispatch centers into one facility.

Peck said Wednesday that the move will be like bringing the Flathead Valley's dispatch and emergency response capabilities from the 1960s or 1970s into the 21st century.

The new center will handle current and future 911 needs, contain the new emergency operations headquarters for all of Flathead County, and serve as a depot for the county's emergency vans and trailers as well as a significant amount of other emergency equipment.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com