WAUKESHA -- Construction continues on a 7,500 square foot expansion to the Waukesha County Communications Center.
Work on the project, which the county budgeted more than $3 million for, started in March and is ahead of schedule.
Gary Bell, Director of Emergency Preparedness for Waukesha County, said he expects construction will be wrapped up by November.
The addition will include a garage to house emergency management mobile equipment and vehicles.
Bell said one portion of the expansion will include administrative offices.
Another will feature rooms used for meetings and planning during emergency situations. That’s a change from the current facility, which was built in 2004.
“Right now, we’re in one room. It’s inadequate to deal with many people making difficult decisions in a high-pressure situation,” Bell said.
He said that portion of the expansion, which will be free of windows, is sturdy enough to withstand an F2 tornado.
It also has the necessary generators and backups to remain functional in the event of loss of power or utilities.
“Multiple people in a space during a high-pressure situation need some additional room, not only to have critical conversations but to have functional conversations,” Bell said.
The communications center answers all 911 calls for Waukesha County, as well as most non-emergency calls for the 23 different municipalities it dispatches for.
