Construction has broken ground on a new operations center in Gerald R Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The US$7.7 facility will act as a communications and operations center and will be constructed to withstand extreme weather conditions, including winds up to 250 mph. It will also house the airport’s emergency operations center, which will support Kent County public safety agencies during crises. Airport officials say consolidating their dispatch, operations, and communications teams, as well as the emergency operations center, into the new 11,600 square-foot facilities will streamline day-to-day management and make it more efficient.
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The new operations center at the Gerald R Ford airport will be staffed 24/7 and include a data center, video walls, conference rooms, office, and break spaces among others. Michigan State Police, the Grand Rapids Police Department, and the Kent County’s Sheriff’s Office have voiced support for the project. Officials have stated that it will serve as a critical backup base in case of a countywide emergency, according to Ford Airport. The new operations center is not the only ongoing construction at the airport in Grand Rapids; construction is also underway on the first phase of the airport’s Project Elevate. The project includes a US$90 million expansion to add eight more passenger gates on concourse A, a US$50 million new and relocated aircraft control tower, and a US$25 million federal inspection station.
“This project represents the culmination of years of efforts to realign and streamline our operations and public safety functions. By bringing our teams under one roof, we’ll be able to ensure we are providing the best possible service to our guests, tenants, and the greater West Michigan community,” said the board chair of the Gerald R. Ford Airport Authority, Dan Koorndyk. “The teams who will occupy this space are critical for our daily operations,” said the airport president and CEO, Tory Richardson.
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