Last week, Dutchess County Executive William Steinhaus, along with police, fire and EMS personnel and community members, gathered for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the new Emergency Operations Center (EOC), on Creek Road in the town of Hyde Park. The EOC is an expansion of the existing Emergency Response campus at 392 Creek Rd., and is part of more than $10 million in upgrades.
According to Steinhaus, the upgrades – which will occur in three phases – are the latest effort to strengthen Dutchess County’s public safety resources.
The existing building was built in 1931 as a state hospital, said John Murphy, emergency response director.
“A lot of the offices we’re using were originally bedrooms for staff, or bunk and dorm rooms for patients,” he said.
In addition to renovating the offices, the 3,800 square-foot expansion will feature a “Learning Lab” – a tiered training room equipped with state-of-the-art multimedia, which will allow for training courses to be taken via satellite. The expansion will also include an Emergency Command Center (ECC), which will be used to coordinate activities in the event of a large-scale disaster.
Green initiative plays a part
New electrical and plumbing systems will be installed throughout the existing building, and the EOC is being built “green” as part of Steinhaus’ “Dutchess Goes Green” movement. It will include a geothermal heating and cooling system, which will utilize the natural stable temperature in the earth, and use it for both heating and cooling.
“It’s a great investment,” said Roman Yasiejko of the Dutchess County Department of Public Works. According to Yasiejko, the geothermal system, for which Steinhaus recently secured $770,780 in bond funding, is expected to save the Emergency Response Center an estimated $80,000 per year, and will pay for itself within 7 to 10 years.
“Not all projects are eligible for geothermal units, but we were tested, and it turns out we are very eligible,” said Murphy.
Steinhaus introduced his “Dutchess Goes Green” campaign in his State of the County address in the beginning of 2007. This is the second project in Dutchess County to “go green;” the first was the Eastern Dutchess Government Center in the Town of Millbrook.
“We think we have one of the best systems in the country,” said Steinhaus.
James Tompkins agrees. He works in the Emergency Response campus’ address office, and updates physical addresses for 911. He’s been there for 10 years, and over the past decade he’s seen a lot of change.
“There’s been a tremendous explosion of housing in Dutchess County,” said Tompkins, “There have been so many improvements to our emergency response systems, and there’s a greater awareness of our surroundings, and possible threats. As a Dutchess County resident, I feel safer knowing the system is in place.”
Yasiejko feels safer as well. “Having had to use 911 once, I would say the emergency response system is absolutely remarkable,” he said.
Construction will begin this week, and completion of the three-phase project is expected sometime late next year.