From the City of Sugar Land:
Sugar Land City Council approved a resolution to utilize the construction manager at risk (CMAR) procurement method to build a new emergency operations center (EOC) and dispatch center.
The EOC and dispatch center project was part of four general obligation bond propositions totaling $90.76 million decisively approved by Sugar Land voters on Nov. 5, 2019. The projects included in the propositions were selected based on extensive planning through various master plans, City Council input and the results of citizen satisfaction surveys that indicated drainage, public safety and traffic/mobility are the top three priorities for residents.
The propositions included $26.3 million in public safety and public facility projects, including $11.5 million to fund a new emergency operations center/public safety dispatch building that fulfills a recommendation from a 2015 Facilities Master Plan.
The new EOC and dispatch facility will include an approximately 18,000 square-foot building space, including the EOC, public safety dispatch operations, technology support areas, sleeping areas, parking, fencing and related site work. A design contract was previously approved and is anticipated to be completed by late fall of 2024. A new facility on 9.9 acres of city-owned land adjacent to the existing police building will provide additional space to accommodate public safety dispatch and emergency operations as the city continues to grow and make modifications to accommodate police personnel that are currently in leased spaces.
Utilizing a CMAR process will ensure the city receives the best value. It will enable Sugar Land, the design team and the construction manager to work together to make sure design decisions can be efficiently implemented into the construction project within an established budget and project timeline.
The CMAR team will work to ensure Sugar Land’s EOC and dispatch center incorporates industry-wide best practices, durable construction and a layout that’s easy to operate and maintain. The process will result in a guaranteed maximum price for construction. Preconstruction services include scheduling, cost estimating, value engineering, general coordination, budget and cost consultation and construction planning.
Public Safety Dispatch has been located on the second floor of the Police and Courts building since the building was constructed in 1996. In 2002, City Council approved the establishment of a permanent Emergency Operations Center (EOC) based on the recommendations of the Emergency Management Task Force. The break room that was located adjacent to the dispatch center was converted to the permanent EOC.
The current EOC was not designed to accommodate the city-adopted Incident Command System (ICS) structure to manage significant incidents that require organizing response by functional areas. In 2009, a portion of the dispatch center was converted into a small conference room to be utilized during EOC activations to facilitate separation of EOC staff members by functional area assignment.
Staffing for Public Safety Dispatch has increased over the years to manage increasing call volume. As the front-line staff has grown, the need for administrative staff has also grown, yet the allocated workspace has not increased. Public Safety Dispatch conducts training for new hires and holds department meetings in the EOC because there is not adequate space in the dispatch center. When the EOC is not activated, Public Safety Dispatch utilizes the small EOC conference room as an office for the dispatch administrative manager.
For more information about the 2019 bond election, visit www.sugarlandtx.gov/GObonds.
