Public safety officials and members of the Trumbull County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) told the Board of Commissioners on Oct. 1 that the EMA’s current facility is no longer suitable for use as an emergency operations center and must be relocated or repaired.

Steve Kreger, fire chief of Bristol Township and member of the Trumbull County Fire Chiefs Association, told commissioners that the facility would not support a large‑scale distribution operation like the county conducted during the COVID‑19 response. "If something would happen now, we could not function. We would have to find another building somewhere else, move the entire EOC," he said.

EMA board chairman Edward Anthony and Trumbull County Hazmat Chief Kevin Keradnick described a persistent smell in the building that attendees and visiting instructors noticed during recent trainings and said the odor and security concerns make routine operations and public meetings difficult. "Our patients are wearing thin," Anthony told the board, urging a firm plan if federal funds are not available.

Why it matters: EMA and the county’s fire and hazmat teams said the site’s condition impairs the county’s ability to operate an emergency operations center, to store and secure critical law‑enforcement and marine equipment, and to host trainings. County commissioners acknowledged the problem and said they are pursuing available federal ARPA funds — and a contingency plan if those funds cannot be used.

What officials said and asked

- The Fire Chiefs Association stated the current EMA location is beyond "temporary" and would not support a repeat of pandemic‑era distribution operations that required daily staffing, PPE handling and bay access. Chief Kreger said the EOC functioned "flawlessly" during COVID but that current space limitations and the building odor make the location untenable for future large‑scale operations.

- EMA chair Edward Anthony said the EMA executive board and volunteers have invested in and remodeled the facility and that board members were reluctant to host the commissioners in the space but did so out of cooperation. Anthony said the executive board wants a clear plan and timeline from the commissioners because the board’s patience is waning.

- Sheriff Wilson and other speakers raised concerns about secure storage for law‑enforcement equipment. The sheriff described two boats, a pickup truck and a dive team trailer that require restricted access and climate‑controlled storage; a previously quoted garage estimate of about $336,000 was discussed as one option to meet specifications.

Commissioners' response and next steps

Commissioners said they are exploring options and funding sources. Commissioner Malloy (first referenced in the meeting record by surname) said officials discussed the issue at a recent workshop and that ARPA monies may be available to help the move. Commissioners also said they hired a grant consultant to look for additional funds and that they will work with the county engineer and sheriff to identify secure storage locations for vehicles and marine equipment.

Commissioner Richard Hernandez said the board hopes the ARPA transfer will cover the move; if those federal funds are not permissible, commissioners said they will consider a "plan B" and discuss other funding avenues but stressed they are trying to proceed in a way that avoids increasing taxes or borrowing unnecessarily.

No formal vote

The public‑comment portion of the meeting recorded persistent requests for a prompt solution, and commissioners said they would "take this under advisory" and return with options. No formal motion to relocate the EMA or to obligate county funds was adopted at the Oct. 1 session.

Clarifying details from the meeting

- Commissioners indicated about $300,000 in ARPA funding was identified in relation to EMA (speaker: Commissioner Malloy); the transcript records an amount "just over $300,000" but does not show a formal appropriations action in this meeting to move those dollars.

- A previously quoted estimate of about $336,000 was mentioned in relation to building a dedicated garage bay for sheriff equipment; the sheriff described that figure as the original quote for a proposed garage.

Ending: Commissioners thanked the public safety officials and EMA members for attending, said they would pursue ARPA and other funding avenues and that they would discuss a contingency plan if federal monies cannot be used. The board then moved on to other public comment and eventually into executive session.