Fayette County has been selected to receive a $950,000 federal grant to build a new emergency operations center in downtown Fayetteville.
The news was announced at the Nov. 10 meeting of the Fayette County Commission. Currently, the emergency operations center is located on the second floor of the county’s administrative building in downtown Fayetteville.
The existing EOC area represents a potential problem should hazardous weather strike in the area, as it is partly encased in glass and it is also vulnerable because it is not located on ground level, county officials have said.
The grant money will require a matching contribution, and as of now it’s not sure where that will come from.
The county plans to build the operations center as part of a new fire station near downtown Fayetteville to replace the current fire station on Johnson Avenue. The new fire station/emergency operations center will be located on land currently owned by the county at the corner of Lee Street and Melear Way, diagonally across from the former senior services building.
County Manager Jack Krakeel noted that his staff was diligent in the successful pursuit of the grant.
Replacing the county’s emergency operations center has been in the county’s capital budget for about 10 years, Krakeel noted.
“I think it’s a huge sum of money, no doubt about it,” Krakeel said.
