MIDLAND COUNTY, Texas — Back in January, Midland County commissioners purchased a building on the east side of the county for $15.5 million.
Originally, it was intended to be the new sheriff’s office, but the plans have since expanded.
The county's new Law Enforcement Building (LEB) is set to become a central hub for collaboration between city and county agencies.
Justin Bunch, Midland County's emergency management coordinator, said right now the county is working with the city to include the fire marshal in the building space.
"The deputy emergency management coordinator for both the city and county is within the fire marshal's office," Bunch said. "Not to mention, as county fire marshal, we work hand in hand."
The facility will offer many services, including an Emergency Operations Center.
"We'll have an area for Texas Division of Emergency Management techs when they come in," Bunch said. "They'll have office space, or we’ll have space for ham radio operators, local ham radio, and possibly some AgriLife employees who deal with disaster relief. We’ll also have open offices for large disasters. If FEMA sends in representatives, we'll have plenty of space for them."
With a meeting space that seats more than 300 people, it will be a significant improvement from the current setup in the basement of the police department.
"This will help us because now we can hold training when we want," Bunch said. "We don’t have to call and schedule training around someone else’s schedule. We can host whatever training we need, whenever we want."
And it’s not just for professionals — community training sessions will also be offered, making preparedness more accessible.
"If anyone from the community helps with emergency management — whether it’s the Red Cross, Salvation Army, food banks or anyone else who needs training — it's going to be open to them. It’s going to be for the community," said Bunch.
They say you spend 90% of your time preparing for a storm and 10% in it. With the new Law Enforcement Building, Midland County will always be ready to respond.