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April 23, 2015

South Sound 911 center to cost $62M

Pierce County is preparing to start construction soon on a $62 million public safety communications center for South Sound 911, according to a press release.

South Sound 911 is a regional public safety agency established in 2012 after a public vote. It was created by Pierce County, West Pierce Fire District and the cities of Tacoma, Lakewood, Fife and Puyallup to consolidate six dispatch centers and unify police and fire communications.

The center is expected to be completed in 2017.

Trammell Crow Co., LMN Architects and Lease Crutcher Lewis will design and build the center, and lease it back to Pierce County. The county will own it with South Sound 911 at the end of the lease, according to the release.

South Sound 911 said its preferred site for the center is 2119 Mildred St. W. in Fircrest. The alternate site is 6700 S. Adams St. in Tacoma.

The center will house 250 employees. It will have a 55,000-square-foot building for 911 and dispatch operations and a municipal emergency operations center. There will also be a 25,000-square-foot building for South Sound 911's administrative offices and information services department. That department offers a public counter for services such as fingerprinting and processing of concealed pistol license applications.

The county signed a preliminary agreement to buy the Mildred Street site, according to the release. The nine-acre parcel is about three acres larger than is needed but South Sound 911 is working with the city of Fircrest to possibly develop the excess acreage as retail or other commercial space.

A purchase and sale agreement has not yet been finalized for the Adams Street property.

Pierce County voters authorized a 25-year 0.1 percent sales tax to pay for the center.

South Sound 911 and Pierce County will talk about plans for the center at public meetings in April, May and June. The first one is April 29 at 6 p.m. at Puyallup Public Library, 324 S. Meridian.




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