Arapahoe County Wraps Renovation of 911 Call Center
By CN Staff
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo.—Arapahoe County 911 Authority announced on February 20th the completion of the new Backup 911 Call Center. To celebrate the grand opening, the county hosted an intimate open house and dedication on Thursday, February 15. The event was hosted by Arapahoe County 911 Director Cathy Raley and the 911 authority staff and was attended by Arapahoe County 911 Authority Board members, community leaders, county representatives, city/town officials, fire protection districts and project partners.
Recognizing the need for a replacement backup call center to accommodate the growing community needs and increasing technological demands, Arapahoe County graciously donated 2,400 square feet within the Arapahoe County Administration Building for the new backup center. The new cutting-edge space provides enhanced service to its 288,000 citizens and serves as a haven for the emergency dispatch teams to continue their life-saving work.
This long-awaited call center serves as the emergency backup location for all current 911 centers in Arapahoe County and neighboring Communities, to be used during extreme weather and relocation needs. The renovation includes a command center, dedicated IT room, director’s office and breakroom and accommodates 10 integrated dispatch stations in its jurisdiction.
“The 911 Backup Center project completion is a long-awaited success for the 911 Authority. Success is not just the completion of a project, but the culmination of dedication, collaboration and a relentless pursuit of excellence,” said Cathy Raley, executive director at Arapahoe County 911 Authority.
“Using these abilities and never giving up turned our challenges into opportunities and goals into reality. We want to thank everyone involved in this project for their hard work and dedication,” said Paul Smith, technical advisor at Arapahoe County 911 Authority.
The project’s design is led by Wold Architects and Engineers (Wold), a local architectural and engineering firm with extensive government design expertise, and Alliance Construction Solutions, a Denver-based general contracting firm, serves as the construction manager, bringing the center to life. With deep expertise in designing public safety and emergency communication facilities, the Wold team worked with the county, along with other local decision makers, to provide a strong 911 facility with enhanced capabilities for potential use as a backup center.
“The community-wide impact of the Arapahoe County 911 Authority Backup Call Center will be a much needed improvement to create a great work environment for those needing to focus on providing critical communications and life and death scenarios,” said Roger Schroepfer, partner at Wold Architects and Engineers. “As a local firm, we’re thrilled to participate in this renovation and continue to express our unwavering dedication to bettering our communities through public service.”
The Arapahoe County 911 Authority includes all of Arapahoe County, with the exception of the City of Aurora and encompasses small sections of Jefferson and Douglas Counties within the City of Littleton. The Authority consists of six (6) Dispatch Centers or Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) covering approximately 712 square miles and serving over 288,000 citizens. To learn more, please visit www.ace911.colorado.gov.
Wold Architects and Engineers is a full-service planning, architecture and engineering firm with offices in Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and Tennessee.