Construction of regional 911 center to begin in Libertyville this week

Construction of a $35 million dispatch center at Lake County's campus in Libertyville - which officials say will provide residents with better service and improve emergency response coordination - will begin this week.

A groundbreaking ceremony is set for 10 a.m. Friday next to the Lake County Central Permit Facility, 500 Winchester Road.

When completed, the 37,426 square-foot Regional Operations and Communications building, referred to by the county as "The ROC," will house dispatchers for Lake County and several municipalities, including Fox Lake, Gurnee, Lake Zurich, Mundelein, Vernon Hills and Waukegan.

The ROC also will be home to the CenCom E911, which provides dispatch services for Antioch, Hainesville, Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights and Round Lake Park.

Lake County officials have emphasized 911 services are not being taken over by the county but will be led by a new intergovernmental cooperative.

Constructing the building and installing all the special equipment is expected to be a two-year process. The total project cost is about $46 million. In January, the county board authorized a $580,000 agreement with Cotter Consulting of Chicago to manage construction.

Guests at the groundbreaking will include U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg, Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District Chief Greg Formica, Lake Zurich Police Chief and Emergency Telephone System Board Chair Steve Husak, and Lake County Administrator Gary Gibson.