Emergency Operations Center & 911 Call Center

Carl A. Nelson & Company was chosen to provide construction management agency services to Washington County, Iowa, for construction of a new Emergency Operations Center and 911 Dispatch Center facility to replace an antiquated building adjacent to the courthouse.

The new 7,000 S.F. building is hardened against tornadoes and straight line winds, is protected from power outages and features a joint operations facility where various local and state services can gather to coordinate efforts in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency situation. It also will house state-of-the-art communication services to receive 911 calls and to dispatch police, fire and other first responders. The relocation of the dispatch center completes the consolidation of county law enforcement and emergency services on a single campus.

The project represented Washington County's first use of the construction management agency delivery method.

The process of developing the project began in 2017, Seward said. Consultant input and examples from other Iowa counties helped determine the plan and the budget.

Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Richard Young credited CANCO Project Manager Matthew Miller and Project Superintendent Corey Mumme for the significant contributions they made to keeping the project on-time and under budget.

"Without those two out here, with this building, I do not think we would be where we are at today," Young said.

While the initial design called for a flush connection between the two buildings, CANCO advised that to avoid code, cost and maintenance implications, the two buildings should be connected by enclosed walkways. The single-story building was wired with miles of cable to connect critical communications equipment. A generator is able to sustain the building's electronic and communications systems without external power, and is equipped to ensure those systems remain online during a switch to generator power.