Resilient Infrastructure​

Summary of objective implementation status (achievements or progress over last year; significant delays or issues, etc.)

The Emergency Operations Center (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.

Key milestone update (include relevant metrics, if applicable)

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

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

The 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.

The current scope for the ECC includes the potential to support partnerships with cities and community stakeholders by ensuring fully accessible in-person facilities and 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 (If this objective received Strategic Plan funding in year 1 or year 2, please provide a status of expenditures to date.)

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. 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.