County officials break ground for emergency operations center

The Cape Girardeau County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is intended to be a localized hub for emergency services to store valuable equipment and operate out of in case any disasters arise. First, though, it needs to get built. The County Commission and other local leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday, Nov. 3 to mark the official beginning of the process.

"We're here to start the journey of 1,000 miles with the first step," the county's Presiding Commissioner Clint Tracy said at the ceremony.

The commission had selected Cape Girardeau-based Dille Pollard Architecture to design the facility and awarded Sides Construction of Jackson with a nearly $4.82 million bid to construct it.

The project is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.

Dozens of local figures from city councils, business groups and first responder services gathered at 3555 Veterans Memorial Drive to witness the groundbreaking. The location is a stone's throw away from Exit 102 off Interstate 55.

Numerous county officials and project leads dug the ceremonial first shovelful of dirt at the emergency operations center groundbreaking. It is scheduled to be fully operational within 12 to 18 months.Christopher Borro

Numerous county officials and project leads dug the ceremonial first shovelful of dirt at the emergency operations center groundbreaking. It is scheduled to be fully operational within 12 to 18 months.Christopher Borro

"We looked at availability, and we looked at a central location with good access to the interstate," Tracy said. "In an emergency you're going to need that."

The facility will be around 14,000 square feet once finished, with garage space for storage taking up 8,000 of that.

Cape Girardeau County's emergency management director Sam Herndon said the equipment stored at the EOC will include mobile generators, a mobile command center, a flood trailer, mass fatality and mass care trailers, small animal trailers and HAZMAT resource trailers.

"By next summer, we're hoping to start moving stuff in," he said. "That will all be dependent on the precast (concrete wall) panels, which have arrived a little early, so that should be a good sign for us going forward."

Herndon added the EOC will provide not only a centralized space to store such equipment, but a way to keep it out of the elements and ready to be used.

Workers dig at the Cape Girardeau County emergency operations site Friday, Nov. 3. Its location at 3555 Veterans Memorial Drive was selected due to its close proximity to Interstate 55.Christopher Borro

Workers dig at the Cape Girardeau County emergency operations site Friday, Nov. 3. Its location at 3555 Veterans Memorial Drive was selected due to its close proximity to Interstate 55.Christopher Borro

"Any time there's a disaster, we can just flip the lights on and go to work to take care of our citizens," he said.

The precast walls will start going up next week. Herndon said, once completed, the facility's equipment can be offered for other counties to use as needed.

Tracy said, since the county's emergency management services are currently run out of the basement of the county administration building, he's excited to see the EOC project underway.

"This is an opportunity for us to step up our game," he said. "If something happens, we can have a kind of command presence (and) bring in state or federal resources as needed."

The County Commission began a review of all county facilities in 2013. After addressing the needs of the courthouses, sheriff's office, jail and juvenile court administration, they set their sights on constructing the EOC.

Tracy estimated it would be completely stocked with the necessary supplies and inventory within 12 to 18 months.