Hawaiʻi County officials broke ground today on a new emergency call center which will be located off of the Mohoʻuli Extension in Hilo. Constructed by Hensel Phelps Construction, the call center will house both Police and Fire Dispatch and is slated to be completed in early 2023. Currently, Fire Dispatch and Police Dispatch are operated from two separate locations, with Fire Dispatch being operated in a tsunami evacuation area. Upon completion, the center will increase communication between departments and the community, accommodate updated technology and communications systems, and create room for increased staffing. In attendance at the groundbreaking were Mayor Mitch Roth, Managing Director Lee Lord, Councilmember Aaron Chung, Hawaiʻi Police Chief Paul Ferreira, Hawaiʻi Fire Assistant Chief Ian Smith, Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno, and representatives from Hensel Phelps Construction. The project will cost a total of $25.4 million and is part of the county’s Capital Improvement Funds budget.

“We are honored to push forward a project that will not only greatly benefit the community but also pay respect to the incredible and invaluable work that the men and women in our dispatch centers do day-in and day-out,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “This project is long overdue, and we are proud to join the multiple administrations, councilmembers, and community members who have fought diligently to conceptualize this project and get it going.”