Polk County 911 dispatch center project starts construction

Construction has commenced on a multimillion-dollar new 911 dispatch center in Bolivar following a recent groundbreaking ceremony.

The $6.5 million center for Polk County Central Dispatch is a project that has taken years to reach this point, said the organization’s director, Sarah Newell. She said the county’s Emergency 911 Board approved a $180,000 purchase in 2017 of nearly 5 acres in Davis Properties’ Village Acres, a retail office park in Bolivar, on which to build the facility. However, securing enough funding to build the 10,000-square-foot building at 370 N. Davis Drive took until last year after the dispatch center was awarded $4.4 million in state funds as part of the fiscal 2024 budget to help pay for the project.

Gov. Mike Parson, who maintains a residence in Bolivar, attended the July 8 groundbreaking, along with Sens. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, and Sandy Crawford, R-Buffalo. Newell credited the three state officials for their support of the center, adding state funding was vital to get the project off the ground. Additionally, Newell said Parson was Polk County sheriff in 2003 when the county central dispatch – a joint operation of various county agencies – was formed.

“He’s had a vested interest in this agency, obviously from its infancy,” Newell said of the governor. “He was actually integral in central dispatch coming together.”

All 911 calls are routed through the center, which operates 24/7 and is governed by a board of directors representing the city of Bolivar, Citizens Memorial Hospital, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Polk County Commission and the Polk County Fire & Rescue Training Association, according to the organization’s website. It coordinates all emergency services, including police, fire and medical responses.

“As a former sheriff, I understand firsthand the importance of our dispatchers and the work they do to support our communities and the first responders in the field,” Parson said on Instagram after he and his wife, Teresa, participated in the groundbreaking.

Finding funding
The center’s remaining funding comes from the county’s three-eighths-cent sales tax, which voters approved in 2011 and that Newell said last year generated around $1.7 million.

“The $2 million was doable. We could make that work as far as financing,” Newell said of county funding for the project. “We just could not afford the financing and payment on the $6.5 (million).”

After the land purchase was made seven years ago, early estimates for the building construction were around $5 million, she said.

“It was always the plan to go ahead and build our own facility. But inflation hit and like everybody, it kind of slowed our process down,” Newell said of the cost estimate increase. “That’s where we started having conversations with state leaders.”

Newell said the organization reached out to Crawford, who represents Senate District 28, which includes Polk County. That led to communication with Hough, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, resulting in $4.4 million being included as a line item within House Bill 20, one of the pieces of state legislation approved as part of the 2024 fiscal budget.

Hough, who is running this year for lieutenant governor, said he learned of the Polk County project from Crawford, who also serves on the appropriations committee. As for why the state didn’t completely fund the project, he said that would be a rarity, particularly since Parson has been governor. 

“Gov. Parson prefers that when a community brings a project forward, that they also have some skin in the game,” he said. “He prioritizes communities that also bring something to the table.”

However, Hough said he was glad the state was able to help with this project, which provides needed service to its community.

“This is the kind of thing that is a very good collaboration for the state and I’m happy to see it get underway,” he said.

A bigger build
Crossland Construction Co. Inc. is general contractor on the project designed by Kansas City-based Hoefer Welker LLC. A spring 2025 opening is planned, Newell said, noting the new center is “significantly bigger” than its current facility, which operates in leased space at 1705 S. Lillian Ave., Ste. B, in Bolivar. The new center will mark the first facility the organization has owned in its 21-year history, according to officials.

“We’re pretty close to doubling our space,” Newell said of the new facility, adding the precast concrete building includes safety features such as an on-site public storm shelter and the ability to withstand an EF-5 tornado.

Polk County Central Dispatch, which always has at least two dispatchers on duty – and more during peak hours – currently utilizes six consoles in its existing space.

“We’ve got it slotted for eight consoles at the new place with room to grow to 12. That would probably be past my tenure, I hope,” Newell said with a laugh.

The 26-employee organization is about four people short of being fully staffed, she said, noting it takes about six to eight months to get new hires with no past public safety telecommunicating experience up to speed.

Newell said call volume exceeded 93,000 last year, comprising 15,718 for 911 calls and 77,347 nonemergency calls. Both categories are on pace to exceed 2023. Through June, 8,058 calls to 911 and 39,024 nonemergency calls were received.

Director at Polk County Central Dispatch since 2010, Newell started at the organization as a dispatcher. She was appointed last year by Parson to serve on the Missouri 911 Service Board.

“I have been here for 20 years and am so excited to see this finally become a reality,” she said, adding the facility construction will accommodate expansion as needs arise. “Being on 4.8 acres, there is no question as far as room, we have plenty of that. The way we angled the building and where we put the dispatch center adjacent to the way the building is sitting, you can actually build on to the center. We thought of all of those things moving forward.”