Butler County is set to break ground Wednesday on a joint facility that will be home to the 911 Emergency Communication Dispatch Center as well as the coroner's office and morgue.
County Administrator Judi Boyko tells WVXU that both entities need upgrades, especially the coroner's office, which has been "functioning their dual responsibilities — administrative office and morgue facility — in separate locations. So the efficiencies and the coordination for [Coroner] Dr. [Lisa K. ] Mannix to be able to operate her office (were) challenging."
The joint facility will be built on Princeton Road in Hamilton, near the Board of Elections.
Boyko says the current cost is estimated at $35 million for the 35,000-square foot facility. Site prep work already is underway, and she says the building is slated to open in the second or third quarter of 2027.
So far, she says, changes in federal tariffs haven't been an issue.
"We have been meeting, convening, for nearly a year, and have been mindful and watching all of the influences, multipliers, based on the economic conditions. So at this time — we've gone up for one bid, and we're going out for the second bid group — and at this time, we've not seen the escalation in costs or increases in pricing that some would think is prevalent in the economy right now," she says.
The county began putting money aside for the project several years ago. Boyko says the fund is currently at $45 million.
Architect KZF Design also designed the Hamilton County Coroner's Office and Crime Lab, which opened in 2021.
The groundbreaking is Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 11 a.m.
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