Construction on the Department of Public Safety’s new communications center remains on schedule for completion in May, said Stephen Smith, senior project manager of Syracuse University’s Office of Campus Planning, Design and Construction.

‘Despite some delays caused by the very cold weather that we’ve had, we’re pretty much on schedule,’ Smith said.

DPS began construction in early January on an expansion to its offices at Sims Hall, allowing for upgrades in technology and extra space. The center is being built in the courtyard of Sims Hall, where DPS offices are located.

The Hayner Hoyt Corporation, a general contracting and construction company based in upstate New York, is handling the expansion, said Steve Benedict, director of field operations. The locally owned business has also renovated Slocum Hall and constructed the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, he said.

It was a combination of both the right funding for the university and available space that allowed DPS to begin construction on the communications center, said Michael Kearns, manager of Communications, Technology and Security Services. Kearns would not disclose the cost of the expansion.

The communications center will feature a wealth of technological advancements. Officers will gain access to features, such as a wall of televisions for the campus-wide closed-circuit TV system, increased space for dispatch operations and communications technology with a 24-hour generator backup, Kearns said. New computers and furniture are also included with the expansion, he said.

The expansion will serve primarily to make the jobs of DPS officers easier and more efficient, Kearns said.

‘The video wall will also make the video security system on campus viewable to everyone in the room, thus more eyes will be on the cameras,’ Kearns said.

A secondary function of the expansion is to provide breathing room for DPS and all of its employees, said DPS Public Information Officer Jenn Horvath.

Inside DPS headquarters, almost everyone shares an office. The department, which is the third largest police force in the county, has 70 sworn officers, 40 staff members and roughly 250 part-time employees, said DPS Chief Tony Callisto.

Horvath defined the current situation inside DPS as ‘cramped.’

‘I think the real problem is that over the past decade or so, the department gradually expanded,’ Horvath said. ‘And a space that was once big enough has now become extremely tight.’

asonushc@syr.edu

 

 

Published on February 28, 2011 at 12:00 pm