Central Dakota Communications Center plans to move into the Dakota Carrier Network Building

The Central Dakota Communications Center in Bismarck houses the dispatchers for our area. They have plans to move into a new space that will better suit their needs.

Construction is underway at the Dakota Carrier Network building in Bismarck with plans to add a nearly 20,000 square foot space to the property.

The add-on will be the new home for the Central Dakota Communications Center.

Talk of this project has been in the works for about five years now. The move makes sense for a number of reasons.

The safety and security of the DCN building will allow dispatchers to work through severe weather.

"My biggest concern at 11 o'clock at night and a severe storm is coming through or we have a tornado warning is my staff," said Mike Dannenfelzer, Cencom Communications director.

"We can take an F4 tornado head on and all of our electronics, air conditioning and support equipment within the hardened bunker is within that shell," explains Seth Arndorfer, CEO of DCN.

Having the two companies under one roof makes sense. When you make a 911 call to a dispatcher, DCN carries the network connection.

Being in the DCN building means that dispatchers will be on site with the necessary electronics and communication systems.

"What that results in is a more reliable service. There's no risk of a fiber being cut between the 911 call center and their electronics," Arndorfer says.

Dannenfelzer says this is the smartest move financially for Cencom as well. Both Dannenfelzer and his staff are excited to relocate.

"This has been an ongoing discussion for five years. And, to have some light at the end of the tunnel that the crowded space we have is not going to be as crowded anymore, I think, is something that our staff is looking forward to," Dannenfelzer says.

The new space, expected to be complete in July of 2020, will have two stories for for an office space and a general dispatch floor.

DCN and Cencom will be holding a joint groundbreaking ceremony today at 9 a.m.