FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., announced plans for work to begin on a $4.6 million emergency services facility in Elliott County. 

It will have an emergency operations center, 911 call center and fire department operations, the governor's office said, along with bays for the storage and deployment of emergency services vehicles and staff. The facility will also be a classroom for first responders in training and a warming center to provide shelter for Elliott County residents.

“Keeping our people safe isn’t just a high priority, it’s a sacred trust,” Beshear said. “This facility means that families in Elliott County will know that whatever the emergency, they will get a quick, coordinated response.”

A fire destroyed the original 911 center. Beshear's office added the current fire department is aging and in need of repairs.

The project is funded through the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program and was first announced at the 2022 Shaping Our Appalachian Region Summit. It will be Elliott County's first multiple service emergency operations center.

Beshear's office said a $1.13 million project to construct a food pantry for the Elliott County Christian Community Center is also underway, along with a project to improve clean water service for more than 1,200 households in the Sandy Hook Water District.