CANTON -- As the county continues to plan a massive upgrade to the county Public Safety Complex, legislators continue to take action to ensure services will go uninterrupted.

Legislators approved a resolution during the Jan. 7 services committee meeting to add five call-taking licenses for the 911 dispatch centers.

According to legislators, the license will include two in the dispatch center, one for the supervisor of dispatch and one for the backup 911 center in Massena.

By adding the additional licenses, officials say the 911 call centers will be able to streamline call taking and expediting throughout St. Lawrence County.

Over the last 25 years, the Office of Emergency Services has utilized Intrado for phone services, officials say. That system has been updated recently to allow for direct interfacing with the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) software from Spillman, which significantly aids in 911 call taking and expediting, according to legislators.

By adding the licenses, however, the county is also added to the maintenance costs associated with the equipment, computer systems and support contracts.

Maintenance costs are typically budgeted within multiple State and Federal grants; however, with recent changes within the grant claiming process and increasing costs of services in which the Office of Emergency Services utilizes, the maintenance cost is no longer paid for by the grants," the resolution states.

Legislators say the county is contracted as an end-user with the Houston Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), which "allows local governments and certain non-profits to contract or agree under the terms of the Act to make purchases or provide purchasing services and other administrative functions appropriately established by another agency, where these products and services are contracted after having been subjected to either a competitive bid (IFB) or competitive proposal (RFP) process."

The Office of Emergency Services does have funding available in the budget for personnel and contractual accounts due to reduced costs throughout the year, according to Director of Emergency Services Matt Denner.

The budget modification associated with the five additional licenses comes in at $41,676.

Renovations to the public safety complex are set to begin this spring and will take nine to 12 months.

Legislators previously approved spending $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project from the 2021 award.

The public safety complex was the first to be deemed ready for construction, county officials said at the time.

The acting architect on the project will be Beardsley Design & Associates, working on behalf of the county to conduct the necessary activities for the bid process.

Joe Prashaw, the buildings and grounds supervisor assigned to the county administrator’s office, will be assigned to represent the county as the owner’s representative and clerk of the works.

The building is currently occupied by the Sheriff’s Office road patrol and civil enforcement divisions, Emergency Services (PSAP), Planning and Conflict Defender, along with New York State Police, who lease space on the first floor.

The project includes a Public Safety Answering Point (911 Center) for the County with expanded workstations and upgraded technology, a new Emergency Services Suite, a District Attorney's Office and Grand Jury Suite, a new location for the Civil Office of the Sheriff's Office, and a new suite for the Detectives of the Sheriff's Office.

The County will also look to address the safety of the tower, landscaping, and the grade of the building on the side facing Court Street.