Trumbull County 911 center pipes leaking, dilapidation continues

It seems emergency lies within the Trumbull County dispatch center.

First, circuit issues caused 911 outages in Trumbull County twice in the last week and now the smell of sewage filled the building due to an issue with the pipes.

County 911 Supervisor, Tacy McDonough, declined to go on camera but tells me their building is attached to now closed Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital and their pipes are connected.

Since the pipes in Hillside aren't being used, they've produced an odor and needed to be flushed out by county maintenance.

The problem with that is, the flushing caused a leak in the pipes at the 911 center, dripping water on the equipment.

McDonough said they were able to catch it before any damage was done but further emphasized the dilapidation of the building and a need to set up shop elsewhere.

"My main thing is, when something happens out there we have to be made aware of it so we can correct the problem. if we're not made aware of it then we can't correct the problem. So you know what, we need a better line of communication of knowing what's going on out there," Tony Bernard,Trumbull County Commissioner, said.

There is a lease proposal on the table that would allow the 911 center to operate out of the county Health Department - but Bernard is concerned about how much renovations would cost and paying the rent.

"We have to look at all those costs and make sure that's the best move for us," Bernard said. "At this point in time, as one commissioner, i'm not sure that's the best move because we haven't looked at any other facilities," he said.

On the other end of this, Comissioner Denny Malloy said he and Commissioner Rick Hernandez believe the county health department is the best place for the 911 center to go and are hoping to move forward with a deal as quickly as possible.