The new Clarion County emergency dispatch center could be open as early as May, according to Clarion County Commissioner Ted Tharan.
However, Emergency Management Director Jeff Smathers said, that timeline is written is not a certainty. The opening of the center, located in the former Sorce warehouse, will depend on several factors, including the availability of new communications equipment.
The board of commissioners on Tuesday approved three elements for the new center: a contract with MBS Securities for security, door access equipment at a cost of $13,174, and an intercom system at a cost of $32,867.
A third contract was with Geotech Engineering to provide services for the diversion of an unnamed stream at the new center at a cost of $5,500. Tharan said the stream meanders through the property and is undermining the buildings.
The county also purchased two parcels of ground adjacent to the Sorce building. A parcel was purchased from Lila Holding LLC for $40,000 and a second parcel was bought from Winscot Inc. and Smathers Managing Partner for an additional $40,000. The total acreage involved in the purchases was 3.4.
A portion of the funding for the new 911 center came from the county’s $3,471,292 in COVID-19 Relief Block Grant funds, provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The 911 dispatch center is currently located in the old Clarion County Jail and the Emergency Management Center is located in the Clarion County Courthouse. Moving to the new center will combine the agency into one building.
Tharan said an open house will be scheduled after the new facility opens.