WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A new dispatch center for Whatcom County will begin construction soon.

The Bellingham City Council unanimously approved the contract bid for the new What-Comm Emergency Communications Center at their regular meeting on Monday night.

Blaine-based construction company Colacurcio Brothers Inc. was awarded the over $12.7 million contract for the building.

The new building will be built on the site of the aging current facility in Bellingham’s Sunnyland neighborhood.

Construction is expected to take at least a year according to Public Works’ Carol Rofkar and project manager.

“The reason it’s taking so long is because it is in a very complex site,” Rofkar said during the Public Works Committee meeting earlier in the day. “The operation of the current 911 center needs to be steady throughout the entire project so there is a little more care that needs to take place around the existing facilities that are coming in and the infrastructure that’s in place on site.”

Councilmember Daniel Hammill noted how important the upgrade in facilities will be for those working at the center ahead of the final vote.

“This building was built in I think 1954 as a fire station at first and was repurposed into the 911 call center,” Hammill said. “It’s very small. It’s very compact and tight. This new building [would] open up and provide for [a] better work environment.”

The new building will be up to industry standards for redundancy in emergency dispatch centers and have a radio tower. Funding for the project came in part from a $1 million Department of Commerce grant that stipulates the building must be at least a LEED Silver certified structure. LEED refers to a standard of environmentally friendly building practices and standards that reduce construction waste and promote energy efficiency.