The Berrien County Board of Commissioners has voted to accept a $3 million grant for the county’s new 911 and Emergency Operations Center in Buchanan.

At a Thursday meeting, the board authorized the county administrator to sign the grant agreement to make the award official. The funds come from the Emergency Operations Center Grant Program run by FEMA. The county in May applied for the funds and was approved for $3 million that will come with a $1 million local match.

The new emergency operations center will be located at 500 Circle Drive in Buchanan Township in a building the county purchased from American Electric Power in 2022. Among other things, the new center will house Berrien County Central Dispatch. It’s intended to eliminate vulnerabilities faced by the current 911 Center with newer amenities and a structure more able to withstand hazards.

Staff from the Cook nuclear power plant will also have offices there so the county and the plant can better coordinate in the event of a disaster.

The county has until June of 2027 to complete the new center and move in.