Design of consolidated 911, emergency operations center taking shape in Lake County

Planning for Lake County's consolidated 911/emergency operations center is well underway, with details of what should be included in the $40 million facility and how it will be funded on the horizon.

The Lake County Board on Friday got its first overview of a regional center, envisioned for years as the backbone to consolidate numerous 911 centers throughout the county and house the emergency operations center and emergency telephone systems board under one roof.

The project is planned for the Lake County campus of facilities in Libertyville. It's the highest-priority capital project in the current fiscal year, which began Dec. 1.

The center is part of a three-pronged effort that began in 2018 to consolidate the services of up to a dozen public safety entities. The intent is to improve service and transfer fewer emergency calls.

The focus of the planning for the 911 consolidation has shifted to the proposed new center.

In October, the county hired a consultant to design the center, which among other things is expected to be a safe base for dispatch services and other emergency operations during severe weather.

How best and to what extent that should be done are among the features to be determined as the design of the building advances. A first draft is expected in March, with the design to be completed this year.

"It's purpose-built. We want the building done right," said Carl Kirar, the county's director of facilities and construction services. "The architects are very excited about this. They like blank slates, and we have that here."

Considerations include the degree of protection the building will provide. That ranges from basic to a "bunker" design with costs ranging from $425 to $670 per square foot.

"It's been discussed for such a long time," said county board Chair Sandy Hart. "We see the need happening around the country. We need a building that will be structurally sound in times of disaster."

Whether the building should have a basement, for example, is an aspect county board members will be hashing out in coming months based on input from consultants and others.

"Everything's on the table still, but that's one (building feature) we've kind of moved away from," Kirar told county board members Friday during its informal committee of the whole meeting.

The cost of the facility is estimated at about $40 million. Federal rescue plan money may be available for part of that cost. A substantial portion would have to be found elsewhere, board members were told.