GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — The Gerald R. Ford International Airport broke grounds today on a new $7.7 million facility that will house emergency and day-to-day operations. The center will be the “lifeline” of the Airport, officials say.
The 11,600 square-foot facility will combine staff from operations and communications to improve efficiency among departments.
The new structure will also house the emergency operations center, which provides support during emergencies at the Airport and around Kent County.
Located on the east side of the airfield, the building will be reachable to visitors of the airport and to the public, making for easy access during emergencies. It will be open 24/7.
The structure will be built to withstand extreme weather conditions, including winds up to 250 mph. Technology will also be installed to ensure communications can be sent during emergencies.
Airport officials considered both functionality and employee desires in their build. They’re constructing a data center, video walls, special document review spaces, as well as inviting office, conference and break spaces.
In the future, they hope to add the Airport’s fire department onsite as well.
Airport administration worked with Rep. Peter Meijer’s office for a portion of their community project funding. They have also received support from Michigan State Police, Kent County Sheriff’s Office and the Grand Rapids Police Department on the expansion, all of which voiced that the project will be a critical backup in case of county-wide emergencies.
“We've basically outgrown where we're at, now we're building that new space and ultimately we'll have the space in the right location for future growth for decades to come – looking forward to that,” Tory Richardson, president and CEO of the Ford Airport Authority told 13 ON YOUR SIDE.
“Today really marks the first step in making the airport operations center a reality,” he said, “this first step is… the next big key piece of the puzzle.”
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