City Councilors got an update Tuesday on the first phase of the new Critical Public Safety Facility.
The facility will be the new home of the 911 call center, a traffic control center, an emergency operations center and a technology data center. The building will be located just north of Interstate 440 on a city-owned parcel on Brentwood Road and North Raleigh Boulevard.
This is the city’s third attempt at building a facility that would house some of the city’s emergency services control centers.
The most recent attempt was the controversial Clarence E. Lightner Public Safety Center, which would have housed all of the city’s emergency systems and a police department and fire district in one high-rise building in downtown Raleigh.
The new center is significantly scaled down, only three to four stories, and would house only some of the city’s emergency systems.
The project is estimated to cost about $69 million, which includes furniture and all technological components.
It’s possible that Wake County will kick in some funding if it decides to house some of its systems there as well. City Manager Russell Allen said that the county is doing its own assessment, but wouldn’t hold up the city’s project.
Two Marathons for 2014
Starting in 2014, distance runners will have two choices for Raleigh marathons. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon will be coming to Raleigh in the spring of 2014. The race will take place each year until at least 2019. The actual route of the race hasn’t been determined.
The annual City of Oaks marathon occurs each fall.
Race officials said the marathon is a nationally recognized race and will bring people from all over the country.
Raleigh has 75 scheduled road races each year, a number that has increased during the past few years.
Road races require approval and close coordination with the Raleigh Police Department, which is responsible for managing traffic flow and safety during the race.
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon date conflicts with two other races that weekend.
Councilor Thomas Crowder wanted to discuss the race in the Law and Public Safety Committee due to that conflict. He also wanted to discuss how the city would handle road races in the future because the current number is putting stress on the Police Department.
Councilor Mary-Ann Baldwin, who chairs the committee, said they have already discussed the road race issue multiple times and it likely won’t get solved in one meeting.
Budget Time
As the year winds down for the rest of us, budget preparation season has begun for city staff. Councilors approved a schedule for next year’s budget discussions:
• Pre-budget hearing — Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.
• Presentation of Proposed Operating Budget and Proposed Capital Improvement program — May 21
• Public hearing on budget proposals — June 4 at 7 p.m.
Dates have yet to be determined for City Council budget workshops.
