Boone County has selected an architect for its forthcoming emergency management and public safety communications facility.
On Tuesday, the Boone County Fiscal Court unanimously selected Cincinnati-based SMP Architects to provide design services for the project. SMP previously conducted a preliminary study and space utilization study for the project. In addition, the firm designed Boone County’s new Animal Care & Control facility.
The proposed facility’s site is at the intersection of Conrad Lane and Bullitsville Road. Once completed, it will be located along the “Public Service Corridor,” home to the Boone County Jail, Fire Training Center, and Sheriff’s Office. The site is home to a soccer field and is zoned for Public Facilities.
“A preliminary study was initiated, which included a feasibility and conceptual design for this project, Deputy County Administrator Matthew Dowling said. “The goal of this phase of the study was to identify potential site options, as well as to determine what the potential total project cost would be while keeping in mind the data received from the space utilization study.”
Currently, Boone County’s Public Safety Communications Department operates out of the Florence Government Center, while its Emergency Management Services operates out of the sheriff’s department building.
SMP Director of Design Kevin Spector said the county wants to consolidate the operations of both teams under one roof and upgrade the department’s technology.
“Our recommendations were really a combined facility under one roof, working together, sharing resources, sharing amenities, something that’s purposely designed for what it is, and it becomes an essential services facility,” he said.
Furthermore, Spector explained that the current accommodations for both operations are inadequate. The space utilization study concluded that the landlocked spaces do not allow for future outward growth.
“Our conclusions were really the two departments are fairly dislocated geographically, and there is an adverse effect on their functioning and effectiveness,” Spector said. “This leads to a lot of duplication of resources, so you can imagine a lot of physical spaces are duplicated. There’s a lot of task duplication. There’s a lot of equipment and amenity duplication.”
Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore estimated the project’s design cost at $489,000. The money was made available through the county’s 2024-2025 fiscal year budget, which passed in June 2024.
Additionally, Moore noted that Boone County already owns the site and wouldn’t require further land acquisition.
“I want to point out this is the entire site that you’re outlining is currently owned by the county, so we don’t need to purchase any additional land to make this work, and it would be expandable if needed,” he said.
Dowling said that after the facility is designed, Boone County would move forward with the bidding process for a general contractor.
