ABILENE — Dickinson County’s dispatch center is getting an upgrade.

The Kansas 911 Coordinating Council announced Thursday that Dickinson County has been awarded a grant to “upgrade our dispatch radio consoles,” said Brad Homman, Dickinson County administrator.

The funding providing this grant was awarded to the State of Kansas, 911 Coordinating Council, by the National 911 grant program administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the National 911 Program. A total of $2,759,782 was awarded to the state, of which $1,800,000 is being used to fund sub-grants to Kansas 911 Communications Centers.

“These sub-grants will allow our Kansas 911 centers to fund upgrades and equipment replacement that could otherwise fall on the shoulders of
local property taxpayers,” said Dick Heitschmidt, Coordinating Council chairman.

The total project cost is $150,619.50, with 60 percent ($90.371.70) of that funding coming from the grant program and 40 percent ($60,247.80) of the project from local funds. The local match is made up of funds that Dickinson County has received over the years from 911 phone fees, which have been saved for this purpose, according to information from Dickinson County.