EMILY KALKA Editor Lincoln County Emergency Management is getting closer to moving into its new building.
Standing in the middle of the old Tool Time Rental building, surrounded by building supplies, paint and dressed ready to work, Director Charlotte Brown said she was happy with the progress, even though there’s still more to do.
Also, she’s not afraid of getting her hands dirty if it’s a task she knows she can do herself. Brown, other EM workers and even some fire departments have come by to help with things such as putting up drywall, priming walls and painting. That Thursday, Brown was set to work in the bathroom on getting rid of mold.
She admitted that she wasn’t sure if it was impatience or just knowing how to do things that motivated her.
Currently, Emergency Management is looking for companies that can do the drop ceiling. They also have the ductwork to complete, along with walls, electrical work, paint and other tasks to make the building usable. Brown said she’s shooting to be fully moved into the building by the end of September.
The new building will have a lobby area for people to use for filling out address forms. One side will be mostly offices and admin space, including storage for their various radios and other equipment, Brown said. The back includes a large storage bay where they can bring in vehicles and other equipment for repairs. This side will also include EM’s emergency operations center.
The other side of the building consists of a large open area that is open for use to first responders in the county.
“This will be all open for any of the law enforcement, firefighters, anyone that has training or wants to put on a class,” she said. “But I’m excited about this room because this is what’s going to make it interoperable between all the different agencies.”
At the moment, EM has to check with the OSU Extension Office, the fairgrounds, or hope that a fire station is available for any kind of training, Brown said. However, this room will be big enough to host any and all departments.
Emergency Management will also be able to store all its equipment and assets in one central location, rather than having them spread out over numerous places.
Another part that Brown is looking forward to is decorating. She hopes to feature the building’s history in the lobby through photographs. It’s been a grocery store, a John Deere dealership and a tool shop. She encouraged anyone who has photos from the previous iterations of the building to send them to her so she can display them once the building opens.