Douglas County officials say plans are moving forward to transform the former Thomas Fitzgerald Veterans Home near 153rd and West Maple into a brand new, state-of-the art 911 communications center.
The county already owns the partially-abandoned building that dates back to the 1920's. Portions of it were recently renovated to house the new Douglas County Crime Lab.
A voter-approved bond issue will fund the nearly $15 million renovation project to construct a new communications center and other county offices.
Kyle Kramer with Douglas County 9-1-1 tells NewsRadio 1110 KFAB they have run out of room at the current 9-1-1 communications center three blocks to the west.
"We don't have any space in our existing facility to add a dispatcher to support Omaha Police for their fifth precinct." There's no room to add technology. There's no room to add people."
Kramer says the number of emergency calls are increasing as the county continues to grow and the need is great for additional 9-1-1 dispatchers . In addition to having more space and the technology necessary to do the job, Kramer says there will be quiet rooms where dispatchers can go to take a break from the often tragic and emotional calls they take.
Douglas Community Commissioner James Cavanaugh tells NewsRadio 1110 KFAB workers will do a top to bottom renovation of the entire inside of the building while respecting the historic nature of the Fitzgerald building.
While much of the building's interior will be modernized, key features like the bricks and iconic tile roof will be preserved
It's hoped the project will be completed by the end of 2018 or early 2019.