County may move its backup dispatch center

Lisa Trigg, The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
·2 min read

May 13—A backup location for the Vigo County's 911 Central Dispatch Center could be included in the new headquarters for the Terre Haute Police Department.

The E911 Advisory Board agreed Wednesday to recommend the move to the Vigo County Commissioners. The move would in effect relocate the county's backup dispatch center from the Emergency Management Agency offices at Hulman Field.

E911 Director Vickie Oster presented a quote of about $37,000 from Garmong Construction Services to include the work in the ongoing remodeling and construction of the new city police station at 222 S. Seventh St., in the former Tribune-Star building.

Police chief Shawn Keen said he agrees with adding the backup dispatch to the new police station, which has room to accommodate the equipment.

Including the backup center in the current construction at the new police station will be cheaper now, Oster said, rather than after Garmong is finished with the police station.

The move will also be a cost saving in distance when a secure fiber optic cable is run from the new Vigo County Jail now under construction to the current city dispatch center in a loop that includes the police station.

Commissioner Brendan Kearns said county officials have been considering the possibility of moving the current central dispatch center from the basement onto the main floor of the current county jail once the new jail is completed.

The current jail will have to maintain some type of holding area for inmates awaiting court appearances, Kearns said. The sally port for vehicles will also be retained, and it is possible the EMA offices at Hulman Field could one day be moved onto some vacated jail space to be on the county courthouse campus, he said.

Oster said equipment from the current dispatch location can be relocated into the main floor space.

The dispatch center recently received new consoles and equipment, she said, and the budget includes funding for new computers, monitors and other equipment.

In a staffing issue, Oster said six dispatcher vacancies now exist in her department with four recent resignations. Interviews will start next week to fill those spots, but training will take several weeks.

The advisory board also thanked 911 employee Sondra Gray for her many years working with he dispatch center. Gray is retiring after more than 20 years of service.

Lisa Trigg can be reached at 812-231-4254 or at lisa.trigg@tribstar.com. Follow her on Twitter at TribStarLisa.