Ulster County Emergency Communications Center breaks ground in New Paltz, NY
The new, 16,350-square-foot, one-story Ulster County Emergency Communications Center will replace the existing facility, which is too small to efficiently handle the needs of the growing county of 183,000 residents. The new building will house a 3,500-square-foot 911 call center, referred to as the Public Service Answering Point (PSAP), a 3,600-square-foot emergency operations center (EOC), which will serve as the county’s headquarters for responding to all natural and man-made disasters, a 975-square-foot IT server room which will be the primary IT center for the building and all of the county’s IT needs, and a 1,600-square-foot offices of the Department of Emergency Services (DES). The 911 call center will accommodate as many as 14 dispatchers and has room for expansion. The space will also include a dedicated decompression room that dispatchers can use after handling difficult, stressful or emotional calls. Rendering by Urbahn Architects
Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, Elected Officials, Urbahn Architects and The Palombo Group Break Ground for New Ulster County Emergency Communications Center in New Paltz, NY
New Paltz, NY–Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, alongside elected officials, emergency personnel, and the project team of lead architect Urbahn Architects, construction manager The Palombo Group, consulting architect Alfandre Architecture and contractors celebrated the groundbreaking for the Ulster County Emergency Communications Center (ECC) in New Paltz. The state-of-the-art facility will strengthen coordinated emergency response capabilities and improve the climate resilience of the County’s emergency management system. Currently, the County’s Emergency-911 call center answers more than 130,000 emergency and non-emergency calls per year.
“The new Emergency Communications Center is an essential investment in resilient emergency management infrastructure that will greatly enhance our ability to coordinate emergency response and disaster relief. The ECC will replace older facilities that are outdated, undersized, and vulnerable to severe weather and power outages, and will greatly strengthen our capacity to respond under any conditions,” said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. “I want to recognize the Legislature for its support of this important project and thank my team who have invested so much of their time, energy, and expertise in careful planning for this project over the last several years, including Emergency Services Director Everett Erichsen, Planning Director Dennis Doyle, and Deputy County Executive Jamie Capuano. We’re also grateful to NYSERDA for $2 million in grant funding to make this facility a model in clean energy, as well as to Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha for a $40,000 capital grant through her office.”
Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, alongside elected officials, emergency personnel, and the project team of lead architect Urbahn Architects, construction manager The Palombo Group, consulting architect Alfandre Architecture and contractors celebrated the groundbreaking for the Ulster County Emergency Communications Center (ECC) in New Paltz. The state-of-the-art facility will strengthen coordinated emergency response capabilities and improve the resilience of the County’s emergency management system. Photo by Peter Wilk/Wilk Marketing Communications
“The new, 16,350-square-foot, one-story building will replace the existing facility, which is too small to efficiently handle the needs of the growing county of 183,000 residents,” explained Urbahn Architects Managing Principal Donald E. Henry Jr., AIA, LEED AP, CPHC. “The new complex will house a 3,500-square-foot 911 call center, referred to as the Public Service Answering Point (PSAP), a 3,600-square-foot emergency operations center (EOC), which will serve as the county’s headquarters for responding to all natural and man-made disasters, a 975-square-foot IT server room which will be the primary IT center for the building and all of the county’s IT needs, and a 1,600-square-foot offices of the Department of Emergency Services (DES). The 911 call center will accommodate as many as 14 dispatchers and has room for expansion. The space will also include a dedicated decompression room that dispatchers can use after handling difficult, stressful or emotional calls.”
“Delivering for our first responders and keeping Hudson Valley families safe is one of my top priorities. That’s why, going back to my time as County Executive and continuing in Congress, I’ve pushed relentlessly to build a new, state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center. I am incredibly proud and excited to see this crucial public safety initiative moving forward,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “I’ll continue to use every tool at my disposal to get this project the federal support it needs, including the over $1M House Republicans removed from the last government funding bill. We cannot afford to let public safety get bogged down in politics — when we invest in our first responders, our entire community is safer.”
“Breaking ground on this facility marks a major operational leap forward for public safety in Ulster County,” said Everett Erichsen, Director of Ulster County Emergency Services. “Every day, our emergency services professionals work together to answer life-critical calls, coordinate complex incidents, and prepare for evolving threats, often simultaneously and under pressure. This facility brings those functions together under one roof for the first time, streamlining coordination, strengthening communication, and supporting faster, more effective response.”
The project’s budget is $34.5 million, which includes $21.8 million in construction cost, in addition to land acquisition and other costs. The Ulster County Legislature voted to bond $11,990,332 for the project. Earlier this year, Ulster County was awarded a $2 million NYSERDA grant to support the facility’s energy-conscious design, including super-insulated walls, geothermal heating and cooling, and rooftop solar with battery backup. The 2024 Executive Budget created an $18 million capital reserve for the Emergency Communications Center. By dedicating these funds from the County’s excess fund balance in a reserve, taxpayers will save more than $1 million annually in borrowing costs.
The County purchased the 57.3-acre property in May 2024 for $2.8 million — $200,000 less than the 2022 agreed price between the property owner and the County. County Executive Metzger negotiated the price reduction to more fully account for environmental remediation costs, as the site is in the NYS Brownfield Program, and site remediation will be consistent with what is required by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. A substantial portion of the property will also be dedicated to a ground-mounted solar array to power 100% of this facility and as well as other County buildings.
In addition to Urbahn, Alfandre and The Palombo Group, the project team includes structural, civil and MEP engineer GPI and telecommunications, IT, security, audio-visual and data systems designer Cerami Associates. The construction team includes general contractor Andron Construction, electrical contractor Perreca Electric, mechanical and plumbing contractor The YMI Group and site contractor Merrit Construction. The New York State Technology Enterprise Corporation (NYSTEC), a consulting firm, is also contributing to the project. A Project Labor Agreement is in place with the Hudson Valley Building and Construction Trades Council and the associated local unions.
Architecture, Site Design and Construction
The ECC will occupy approximately 6.5 acres of a 57.3-acre site on Paradies Lane, which is located near the crossroads of major thoroughfares, including the NY Thruway, which offers adequate access for vehicular traffic as well as a staging area for oversized emergency response assets and equipment. The site also provides reliable access to the electrical power supply and telecommunication lines.
Site work will include constructing access roads and an asphalt parking surface with 71 spaces, as well as landscaping of trees, bushes and grasses.
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“Ulster County’s leadership directed the designers to focus on resiliency, redundancy, efficiency, and longevity of the new facility,” said Urbahn Architects Associate Principal Christopher Young, AIA. “The facility will be constructed on a five-inch slab-on-grade concrete foundation and have a gray standing-seam metal roofing system. The perimeter walls will feature an insulated concrete form (ICF) system of interlocking blocks of insulation that create the formwork for a concrete core. This system will provide continuous insulation for the entire building without thermal leaks, as well as good sound insulation.”
”In addition to providing a highly energy efficient, so-called tight building envelope – or exterior enclosure – the insulated concrete form wall construction system is also more economical, as it requires less labor, since the framework and insulation are the same system,” added The Palombo Group Project Manager Tom Chesser.
“The new Emergency Communications Center will feature the latest technology and design concepts in municipal emergency response management. We are very proud to lead the construction team for this undertaking and to continue our relationship with Ulster County and the Town of New Paltz, where we have completed several projects, including the new fire station and the police and court building,” said The Palombo Group Principal Luis Rodriguez.
”In addition to creating an energy efficient building envelope, the ICF system provides a continuous structural wall with increased ballistic properties. It is also more economical, as it requires less labor than a traditional framed building” added The Palombo Group Project Manager Tom Chesser.
The exterior facade will feature a gray color palette with ash wood accents to evoke warmth and visual appeal. While it will primarily feature a stucco finish and Longport metal paneling, it will also include a 4-foot section of ground face block across the lower portion of the façade for added texture and for durability. The building’s exterior will also include ballistic resistant windows and entrances to protect the operations within from hurricanes and other incidents. This will include clerestory windows in both the raised roof section above some of the hallways and on the north side to bring natural light into the main EOC and PSAP areas.
“Although the building will not pursue the LEED certification, Urbahn designed it to meet the high energy-efficiency LEED Gold standard. In line with the Ulster County Executive Order 01-2023, the facility will also meet New York State’s NYStretch Energy Code 2020 standards for energy efficiency in public buildings,” added Young.
“The center’s resiliency and sustainability infrastructure will include a geothermal heating and cooling system, and a solar array on the roof,” explained Chesser. “In order to construct the in-ground geothermal heating and cooling heat pump system, the project team will drill wells and install piping that will provide the water the complex requires for heating and cooling of the interiors. Locating this system underground will make it more resilient and provide added security benefits. A separate, dedicated cooling system will serve the IT room.”
The project team utilizes an advanced BIM – or Building Information Modeling – software by Revit to plan the construction process. According to Chesser, “It is particularly useful in planning construction and routing of piping, ductwork, electrical conduits and other elements of the building’s infrastructure, which requires coordinating work of multiple specialty subcontractors.”
During the construction process, the project team will utilize an advanced BIM – or Building Information Modeling – software by Revit. According to Chesser, “It is particularly useful in coordinating the routing and placement of ductwork, piping, electrical conduits and various other elements of the building’s infrastructure.”
The building’s electrical system is designed to easily connect to an intended large-scale photovoltaic array that might be constructed on portions of the site in the future. Once that ground array is complete, it would bring the complex well beyond a net-zero emission standard of sustainability.
Interior Design
According to Young, “While the architecture and interior design team focused on accommodating the building’s functional and security requirements and keeping the project within budget, the designers also desired to create a flexible and comfortable facility that will introduce sufficient natural light to make the space welcoming for the employees. We also carefully analyzed the design of the interior spaces to minimize waste and optimize the layout.”
The architecture and project management team collaborated with Xybix Systems to plan the installation of the specially designed 911 dispatch workstations and all the necessary wiring and technology components to make them operational.
The building will be constructed in a rectangular shape with a central reception area and dedicated corridors that lead to each of the building’s four sections. The main entrance will face the south side of the parking lot and include a small storefront system, entrance and security vestibules and the reception area. The building will also feature an employee kitchen, entry and restrooms.
Interior finishes will include porcelain tile flooring at the entrance and in bathrooms and carpeting throughout the rest of the building, except in the data center and utility areas. The server room, EOC and PSAP will feature a sunken floor system for cabling access and air circulation, while the mechanical room floor will sit five feet below the rest of the building to provide floor-to-ceiling clearance to accommodate redundant energy recovery ventilator (ERV) equipment. The ceiling will include a suspended acoustic tile system, sections of hard drywall for aesthetic purposes and gypsum substrate with acoustic backing panels for sound control.
Urbahn Architects
Celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2025, Urbahn Architects is a full-service planning and design firm based in New York City. Since its founding in 1945, Urbahn has designed projects for organizations and institutions that operate in the public and governmental, education, transportation, hospitality, healthcare, science, justice and public safety, multi-family residential and infrastructure sectors. The firm also operates a regional office in Jakarta, Indonesia, serving clients throughout Southeast Asia. The value of Urbahn’s current domestic and international projects totals approximately $4 billion.
Four principals lead the firm: Donald E. Henry, Jr., AIA, LEED AP, CPHC; Natale V. Barranco, AIA, LEED AP; Rafael Stein, AIA; and Ranabir Sengupta, AIA, LEED AP.
Building Design & Construction magazine ranks Urbahn as the 79th largest architecture and planning firm in the United States and the nation’s 31st largest municipal and local government project designer. Engineering News-Record New York magazine recently recognized Urbahn as the Design Firm of the Year. The studio designed some of the nation’s most iconic structures, including the Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Control at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL and the Fermi National Accelerator Lab in Batavia, IL.
Urbahn’s recent public safety and municipal work includes the Borough-Based Jails program, Manhattan Surrogate’s Court atrium and skylight, and Manhattan District 6/6A/8 Sanitation Garage in New York, NY; Brooklyn Federal Detention Complex and Crossroads Juvenile Detention Center in Brooklyn, NY; Jersey City Public Safety Center and Jersey City Municipal Services Complex in Jersey City, NJ; and Centro Médico Correccional in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
In addition to its extensive portfolio of domestic projects, Urbahn has worked as a planner and architect delivering design services around the globe, including hospitality, healthcare and commercial projects in Indonesia, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Saudi Arabia, India, Somalia, Uganda and Nigeria.
Additional information: www.urbahn.com
The Palombo Group
Established in 2000, and headquartered in Poughkeepsie and Newburgh, NY, The Palombo Group (TPG) is a leading Lower Hudson Valley and the greater New York area construction management firm active in the K-12/BOCES and government/municipal building market segments. The firm’s focus is on “Making Visions Real,” working alongside clients and designers from the conception to the turnover of each project, with an emphasis on longevity, budget, sustainability and energy efficiency.
The firm’s recent work in New Paltz includes the Village of New Paltz Fire House, Town of New Paltz Police and Court building and multiple projects for the New Paltz Central School District. TPG’s other notable municipal projects include the Ulster County Family Court, Ulster County Community College Relocation, Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office, City of Beacon Fire House, Dutchess County Mass Transit Facility and Dutchess County Medical Examiner’s Office. In addition, the firm is engaged with public school districts in Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland and Putnam counties.
Additional information: www.thepalombogroup.com
The post Ulster County Emergency Communications Center breaks ground in New Paltz, NY first appeared on Informed Infrastructure.
The new, 16,350-square-foot, one-story Ulster County Emergency Communications Center will replace the existing facility, which is too small to efficiently handle the needs of the growing county of 183,000 residents. The new building will house a 3,500-square-foot 911 call center, referred to as the Public Service Answering Point (PSAP), a 3,600-square-foot emergency operations center (EOC),…