Police & Emergency Operations Center

Additional Info

Award Winner : Modern Building Systems, Inc.

Architectural Excellence : Columbia County located in St. Helens, OR applied and received a much needed FEMA grant to improve their facilities for a Police & Emergency Operations Center. They were originally located in the basement of the structurally inadequate old courthouse building. The acquisition of a FEMA grant has allowed them to serve their community much more effectively. Columbia County is a cash-strapped rural Oregon county, needing the construction speed and financial advantages of utilizing modular construction. The Police & Emergency Operations Center is now located in an easily accessible campus setting near the region’s 911 Center and county fire department headquarters.
Modern Building Systems provided a 1,792 square foot facility. The facility was designed to be adaptable when future funds can be acquired to add a center module, increasing square footage an additional 896 square feet.

Cost Energy Effectiveness : Taking advantage of the cost savings of offsite construction allowed Columbia County to stretch their grant dollars further. These resulting savings allowed Modern to complete a series of additional vital items at the end of the project due to a funding surplus. A complete site works package was conducted by Modern, including: landscaping, new parking lot layout, lighting poles and striping, security system, and site access through a voice intercom at the property gate.
HAM radio towers were installed on the roof. Connection points for high and low voltage systems were placed on the exterior of the building to allow HAM radio truck operators to quickly tie into the building systems and become operational in an emergency situation requiring volunteer assistance.

Engineering Firm Name : Modern Building Systems, Inc.

Installer Firm Name : Modern Building Systems, Inc.

Occupied Date : 12/15/2013

Owner Firm Name : Columbia County Oregon

Production Start Date : 10/1/2013

Project Location City : St Helens

Project Location State Name : OR

Technical Innovation : As an emergency response facility & a temporary police holding center, the grant funding requirements from FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security designated this an ‘essential facility’. To meet these additional structural requirements, Modern’s in house engineering & design team created a custom building & foundation utilizing a 50 kw diesel backup generator power source with a 372 gallon fuel tank. A concrete filled stone wall around the generator was installed to meet Homeland Security guidelines.
Several design considerations were implemented to create a building that was more than a standard government agency office, including custom built moveable partition walls. For ultimate building flexibility, the space can go from office & holding spaces to open space for trainings & emergency management operations. The building is complete with shower and kitchen facilities for county personnel serving their community in a time of need and for safe temporary detention of wrong-doers

Total Square Feet : 1792