LOCK HAVEN -- By the end of the year, emergency services like 911 and HAZMAT in Clinton County will have a new place to call home, One that will be considerably bigger than the current location.
The move will mean going from some very cramped quarters to a newly renovated facility, with plenty of room near Lock Haven.
Walk into the Clinton County Department of Emergency Services And you get the feeling it's not the most ideal space for this line of work.
Tucked away in the basement of the County-run nursing home, the 911 Center. HAZMAT team and more get the job done before, during and after emergencies.
"We've used every closet space, every shelving unit, it's grown more than they had any idea back then," said Joanne Furl who is Quality Assurance Supervisor for the Department of Emergency Services.
Back then was the late 70's early 80's. Furl said in the years since, the department has outgrown its walls.
Employees are looking forward to being able to spread out in the new facility.
"We're so confined in our space, we get other people in other emergencies you can tell it's small," said 911 dispatcher Robert Moore.
The Clinton County 911 Center will triple in size from what it is now, and in fact, the entire room will have 6 positions compared to 3 it has now, in the event the county wants to handle more call volume for emergency calls.
Clinton County purchased the old Flemington Elementary School and is in the process of a more than $2 million project.
"The space we'll have to operate in our emergency operation center will improve our operations overall," said Kevin Fanning, Director of Emergency Services.
Fanning showed off the soon-to-be offices and Emergency Operations Center, a newer, improved facility, where employees are sure to feel much less cramped.
"I won't be able to touch the walls at the same time," said Furl.
The new facility will also house the county's Veteran's Affairs office.
Work is expected to be finished by mid November and the big move sometime by the end of this year.