Jay County weighs $5 million public safety building as departments request more space

Travis McDaniel of MSS Engineering presented initial design options for a proposed Jay County public safety building in a Dec. 3 joint session of the Jay County Commissioners and Jay County Council. The current schematic is just under 10,000 square feet and was estimated at about $500 per square foot, placing a quick project estimate just under $5 million. McDaniel said the RFP includes alternate designs at lower price points for commissioners to review.

Health Department administrator Heath Butz asked for two additional offices to accommodate two employees added since the original drawings, and EMS shift supervisor Kyle Gerlach said bay areas must have restricted access because they store medications. Gerlach also requested expanding on-site sleeping quarters from four bedrooms to six. Council member Cindy Bracy asked whether square footage had been allocated by department; McDaniel said room-by-room square footage exists but department-level totals were not yet calculated.

Commissioner Chad Aker suggested bonding as a funding option, while council member Bryan Alexander said he was concerned about the project's cost but wanted departments to have the space needed to deliver services. County attorney Wes Schemenaur cautioned that IU Health’s approved donation was for a safety building that would include the Health Department, EMS and the coroner; if the county chose to pursue only an EMS facility, the county would need to return to the IU Health Board for approval of a revised donation.

McDaniel reviewed site constraints and aerials for the existing EMS location, saying the current full-size drawing would not fit adjacent to the existing building and would need to be sited north of it. He described a smaller phased footprint option — roughly 6,700 to 7,200 square feet — that could be built to the east and later extended north. Commissioners asked departments to submit prioritized lists of required spaces and what they could compromise on so MSS Engineering could produce drawings at the projected $5 million and at two lower-cost alternatives. County officials said they would need a site plan and direction to proceed with survey work and the IU Health land-donation process.

IU Health Jay Chief Operating Officer Christina Schemenaur offered additional acreage if the current site proved insufficient, recommended retaining the existing building for storage if it were torn down, and offered IU Health lab and conference space for EMS training. She also noted the John Jay Center for Learning had received an $80,000 grant to build a medical simulation lab that could potentially host EMS trainings.

After the meeting, McDaniel toured the current Health Department and the Portland EMS base with county officials and staff to assess existing infrastructure and confirm constraints for the design. Commissioners directed departments to provide detailed, prioritized needs to MSS Engineering to inform next-stage drawings and required site work.