NEW DIGS! GROUNDBREAKING FOR 911 CALL CENTER IS A HUGE STEP FOR ANOKA COUNTY

“This is a long time coming,” said Anoka County Sheriff Brad Wise. ” I’m glad to be part of this groundbreaking.”

The waiting game

In Anoka County it’s been all about anticipation when it comes to getting a new facility for 911 operators. But now the wait is over and construction has started on this major project.

The current facility is over 30 years old, has very little space and is archaic. Workers are stuck doing their job in a basement.

“The area where they currently work is cramped,” said Dee Guthman, Anoka County Deputy Administrator. “There is no access to daylight. The low ceilings can create noise issues and sometime make it difficult for staff to concentrate while trying to respond to calls.

“It has become challenging to run a robust emergency communications operation in this space,” said Anoka County Commissioner Julie Braastad. “Simply put – we’ve run out of room for expansion.”

Bells and whistles

The new 911 call center will be futuristic and have all the bells and whistles so employees can respond to 911 calls – which have increased from 109,000 in 1987 to over 400k in 2022.

“Even with the challenges facing them each day, 95 of these calls were answered within 10 seconds,” Brastad said. “The industry average is just under 30 seconds.”

“I do know that dispatchers and the staff at central communications, as well as the staff that works in the radio shop, are second to none,” Wise said. “They do everything they can to keep the first responders safe.”

Said Gamache: “Our county has a commitment to public safety and this new facility here in Andover is yet another way in which we’re supporting public safety in Anoka County.”

The footprint of the building will be 452,000 square feet and it opens in June of 2024.