Resilient Infrastructure​

Enhance services to the community by investing in County facilities and infrastructure; including roads, buildings, communications, and flood protection.

Goal 2, Objective 3

Develop and implement technology tools that enhance employees’ ability to work remotely and promote virtual service delivery models in order to reduce County facility space needs.
Delayed

Updated: January 2023

Summary of Objective Implementation Status

The ECC is currently proposed as a component of the new County Government Center (CGC)  project.  The ECC also remains as a requested project in the 2023 Capitol Improvement Program.  Additional consideration of the potential downtown Santa Rosa location for the CGC also delayed selection of the site for the CGC.

Key Milestone Update

Staff have completed preliminary facility scoping and determined approximate initial allocations of facility space by function – total of 13,000 sq ft.

The County Government Center project is delayed pending Board direction on location and cost.

Coordination and Partnership Update

The County may collaborate with the City of Santa Rosa to co-locate the City’s EOC with the ECC.  Co-location would support increased pre-disaster and disaster response activities as well as realize cost savings in providing both facilities with safety, security, emergency power, and communications infrastructure. As funding and space permit, the ECC may also support direct integration of community-based, education and private sector partner organizations in both pre-disaster preparedness efforts as well as response activities.

Community, Equity, and Climate Update

  • Current scope for the ECC includes drought and fire-resistant design and landscaping features that will serve as a community demonstration site for wildfire home-hardening design, materials and technologies.
  • Current scope for the ECC includes the potential to support partnerships with cities and community stakeholders by ensuring fully accessible in-person facilities, remote access systems. Its proximity to other County services will support increased direct access by residents and build social capital before, during and after disasters.
  • Staff will work with leads in the Racial Justice and Social Equity Pillar to address the social equity considerations that could be part of the facility needs assessment and design.  While not intended to provide direct services to residents in a disaster, the ECC could include enhanced direct community education and training facilities, expanded engagement communications systems, space and support for community advocacy organizations, and/or increased transparency of County disaster response information and actions.

Funding Narrative

The ECC is currently proposed as part of the new County Government Center (CGC) Public-Private-Partnership (P3) procurement project embodying a design/build/finance/operate and maintain approach.  The CGC financing plan is  currently in progress but the Deferred Maintenance fund is likely to be a significant part of the plan.  Although state and federal funding for EOC facilities is effectively non-existent, DEM is currently working to identify the potential for a federal earmark as a funding source.