ITHACA, NY (CortacaToday) — Tompkins County’s 9-1-1 dispatchers have transitioned to a temporary facility near Cornell University, paving the way for essential renovations to the emergency communications center on Brown Road in Lansing.

In early September, Tompkins County Director of Emergency Response, Michael Stitley, updated community partners about the County’s receipt of the Certificate of Occupancy for the new dispatch center on Pine Tree Road.

“We estimate the renovations to our Brown Road facility will be completed by early next year,” Stitley noted. “Our 911 team relocated to the Pine Tree location on September 9th and will operate from there until the renovations are completed.”

The transition to the new location on September 9th was achieved with minimal disruption to operations. Stitley mentioned a contingency plan was prepared in case the move encountered issues, adding, “Our Systems Management Team had dedicated a significant amount of time overseeing the project and cutover. As always, customer service remained our highest priority.”

“This project has been years in the making,” said Kim Moore, Tompkins County Deputy Director of Information Technology Services. “Huge congratulations are in order for the entire DoER team. The collaboration across many teams was truly inspiring and should be celebrated!”

John Halaychik, DoER Assistant Director-911, expressed enthusiasm about the updates, stating, “We’re talking about a 20-year-old building. The renovations being planned will update and modernize the primary 9-1-1 Center and bring cutting-edge technology up to 21st Century standards. It’s an exciting time!”

Tompkins County dispatchers manage over 35,000 9-1-1 calls and over 110,000 non-emergency calls annually.

For more information, contact Michael Stitley, Director of Emergency Response, at 607-257-3888.