EAGLE RIVER, MI— Plans for the Keweenaw County Emergency and Essential Operations Center are moving forward.
Keweenaw County Sheriff Curt Pennala says the center will house multiple agencies like search and rescue and the Road Commission’s maintenance team. It will also function as the emergency operations center for the county and will have space so emergency volunteers can hold training exercises.
Pennala says building the center will allow officials to concentrate efforts in one place.
“Our operations in the Keweenaw run off a small population base, but also we have a heavy volunteer base that serves a lot of tourists every year. So, this is a great space where we can collaborate all of our operations out of one building.”
The proposed site of the center is next to the County Road Commission.
A $50,000 Rural Readiness grant from the Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity helped produce a conceptual design for the building, and officials are waiting to hear about state and federal grants.
Pennala says officials could break ground on the project in about three years.
