MADISON, Wis. — For 30 years, the 911 dispatch center for Dane County has been located in downtown Madison but that is expected to change in the near future.
A new 911 dispatch center is set to be built near Dane County’s campus off Highway AB on Madison’s west side.
It could cost anywhere from $35 million to $40 million.
Johnny Leonard is the training and outreach manager of Dane County Public Safety Communications. Leonard said his staff is currently working out of a 10,000-square-foot building.
He said with the expansion, that will change.
“We are starting to outgrow the space with the growth in staff and growth in technology,” said Leonard. “The new space we are going to is going to be about 34,000 square feet.”
The 97-person dispatch center works with 70 different police, fire and emergency response agencies.
Leonard said at the current location, they do not have enough room to accommodate all their staff.
“It can get very hectic out here on the operations floor when you have people maneuvering to different dispatch positions,” said Leonard. “With overlap in shifts, we don’t have enough counsels. We only have 21 positions out there to seat staff.”
The new location will have 50 dispatch counsels, which will more than double the center’s operational size.
The space will also include flex rooms where the staff can host events and regional training.
“As our needs grow and evolve in a building that we hope will host us for 50 years, we want to make sure we have that space for expansion,” said Leonard. “It is actually intentionally designed so we could expand laterally, building onto that footprint if needed.”
At the current location, there is no parking included and employees are required to park and walk a few blocks to get to work. Leonard said this can be dangerous.
“When you have employees coming and going at all hours of the night, at 2:30 in the morning, employees are walking to the county ramp,” said Leonard.
The new facility will also be equipped with quiet rooms to allow employees to decompress, a larger break room spaces and a fitness center. It’s expected to be completed by 2025.