Jefferson City and Cole County officials announced Thursday afternoon that a $2 million Community Development Block Grant has been awarded to fund the construction of a new Emergency Medical Services station in downtown Jefferson City.
The station will be built on a county-owned parking lot across from the county jail on Adams Street.
Because the project is located in the city, the city applied for the grant on behalf of the county, which operates the EMS service. The city could apply for up to $2 million in block grants for the project.
A preliminary engineering report by The Architects Alliance, which was done to fulfill one of the CDBG application requirements, said the project would cost more than $2.8 million. The grant will pay the majority of the costs; the rest will come from funds out of the half-cent sales tax for the EMS service.
The city will be responsible for the oversight of the activities of the grant.
Currently, an ambulance is stationed in the county jail, but officials said creation of a downtown ambulance station will improve efficiencies and expand services.
EMS Chief Eric Hoy said they had 2,900 calls for service come to that station in 2021. That's 1,000 more than the next highest call volume station. Figures show the area this station would serve is considered to have many low- to moderate-income residents, although Western District Commissioner Harry Otto said this base also would serve the needs of downtown state workers and visitors to the state Capitol.
The Architects Alliance report also called the station site "ideal for this project."
The two-level station with three bays will allow the EMS service to put two ambulances in operation in the downtown area 24 hours a day and seven days a week, Hoy said. He said the ambulance currently housed in the county jail helps control costs. However, due to the operations of the jail, it can present challenges so it's not an ideal location.
"It's rare that you find a project that would benefit everyone within the county," Hoy said.
On Tuesday, the Cole County Commission approved a proposal with Architects Alliance to continue design work on what looks to be a 11,250-square-foot facility. This next phase of development is estimated to cost $240,000. Hoy said that cost should be paid out of EMS capital funds.
"This was a pipe dream and on our strategic plan for a long time," Hoy said. "This took a great deal of cooperation between the city and the county. At this point, my goal would be to have a groundbreaking ceremony by the end of the year."