Although there is not a set date to start construction for the building, permits and funding have been approved and developers will begin bidding for the project soon.

“They will then have one more meeting with our staff, we call it a pre-construction meeting. Then they have the right to have it built. They haven’t shared a completion date with us yet, but I think they might have it done by the end of the year,” said Dave Anderson, director of the Spanish Fork community and economic development department.

The emergency management department is responsible for addressing the needs of county citizens during natural disasters, epidemics, threats, evacuations, and more. Due to recent growth in the county and, as a direct result, the department, they split from a joint team with emergency services in January 2022.

The department has been operating out of the small, makeshift county emergency operations center in the Utah County Sheriff’s Office building, also in Spanish Fork, for over three years. They are looking forward to having a space of their own, one that is customized to fit the department’s needs.

“Where we are currently is not designed to be a full time work facility. It’s supposed to be occupied for just a couple of days. We’ve been operating out of here for over three years,” said Lt. Peter Quittner, emergency management director. “A new building will allow us to really properly store, maintain and prepare our resources for deployment throughout the county, the region and the state in an emergency.”

With preparation being key for dealing with emergencies, the county has stocked up on several pieces of equipment including emergency command centers, structures, a personal cell tower, generators, track systems, lights, trailers and more.

“They’ll certainly have a lot more space than what they have now. And better space. So it’s a big step forward for the county in terms of having the ability to respond to incidents and disasters,” Anderson said.

The design for the building and landscaping was created by Galloway & Company, Inc., a Colorado-based company that has built for several other clients in Utah including the Valley Grove office and retail development in Pleasant Grove and the Springville Civil Center and Headquarters Fire Station. An overall price for the Spanish Fork project is yet to be determined.