The Port of Long Beach broke ground on a $20-million Security Command and Control Center, a post-9/11 facility for the Port's expanding Security Division and its law enforcement partners.
'This Command and Control Center marks the beginning of a new era in Port security,' said Long Beach Harbor Commission President James C. Hankla in a waterfront groundbreaking ceremony. The 25,000-square-foot facility 'will give us the room to house a growing Security Division, room for the new tools they need, and room for our partners to work with us in an emergency,' he said.
'In a sense, this structure is our memorial to the events of 9/11 and to the thousands of people killed in those unforgettable terrorist attacks,' Hankla said.
The Command and Control Center will serve as the communications hub and headquarters for the Port of Long Beach Security Division and Harbor Patrol, and also house security units from the Long Beach Police Department and Port of Los Angeles. The three-story structure will also accommodate the US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection, and Marine Exchange during an emergency.
The Command and Control Center is being funded by the Port of Long Beach and the US Department of Homeland Security, which contributed $8.1 million toward the $20 million cost.
In keeping with the Port of Long Beach Green Port Policy, the structure will be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. LEED buildings incorporate environmentally friendly design, recycled materials, energy efficiency and sustainable construction practices.
The Center is designed to be a regional resource. It will house emergency management facilities including a Department Operations Center (DOC) for use in coordinating law enforcement response to emergencies anywhere the San Pedro Bay port complex. The state-of-the-art equipment will enhance communications among the Port's many security partners.
The Center is expected to open in fall 2008.
