Franklin County officials are worried that the legislature may not be able to fund the construction of a new Emergency Operations Center in the upcoming budget.
The county received 200 thousand dollars last year for the architectural and engineering services for a new Emergency Operations Center and have requested 1.5 million dollars this year for construction.
The problem is the state is facing a budget shortfall because of the COVID-19 pandemic and that has local officials worried that the money may not be there.
Even if the state does find the money, it will likely not be enough to fund the whole project as the county would like a 6000 square foot building which would cost about 1.8 million dollars.
Franklin County does have a million dollars in BP oil spill money that could be used if necessary, though the county has other needed projects it would like to use that money for.
A new EOC has been a top priority for the county for a number of years.
The current EOC building is located at the Apalachicola airport – it used to belong to the National weather service but was converted to Emergency Management use when the weather service moved to Tallahassee.
The aging building needs to be replaced – it's almost 50 years old, it is too small for an Emergency Operation Center and it's located is in a flood zone.
The new EOC will also be located at the airport, though in a better location.
Emergency Management Director Pam Brownell said when a new center is complete, the existing building will be used for storage and as a bunk house.
County commissioners say they will continue to aggressively seek the construction money.
Commission chairman Ricky Jones said this will be the first EOC Franklin County has ever built and they need to make sure it is built to meet the needs of generations to come.
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