Officials in the Twin Cities appear to be on board with a proposal to move the L-A 911 dispatch center to Auburn Hall.

The emergency communications center, operating out of Auburn’s central fire station on Minot Avenue, was originally planned to remain there following the property’s upcoming overhaul into a combined police and fire public safety facility for Auburn.

However, officials said this week that the cost to keep it there, as well as the need to relocate the facility during construction, led the 911 committee to explore alternatives.

Tim Hall, director of L-A 911, said the estimate to include the dispatch center as part of the new public safety facility was roughly $4 million. After looking at two potential alternatives, including 85 Park St. in Lewiston, Auburn Hall was chosen due to an estimate of $2.6 million, which officials expect to come in closer to $2 million.

Hall said an estimate to retrofit the 85 Park St. building was $3.5 million, which he expects will only increase due to bringing it into compliance with building standards for public safety facilities.

Auburn Hall houses the Police Department, but that space will be vacated once the public safety headquarters is completed in 2027. Auburn City Manager Phil Crowell said during construction, a police unit will use leased office space at 95 Main St. to make way for 911 communications at Auburn Hall.

Crowell said the move “puts us on the right track and puts us where we need to be” for the construction timeline. He said the Auburn City Council will be asked to approve the Auburn Hall recommendation during its next meeting. Lewiston officials gave unanimous approval Tuesday.

According to Hall, the communications center will have to be out of the Minot Avenue facility by June 2026.

As part of the preparation for construction on Minot Avenue, the Auburn Fire Department is moving to a temporary facility at 67 Kittyhawk Ave., which the city purchased earlier this year for $1.3 million.

The L-A 911 communications center, with 25 employees, handles emergency calls to police, EMS, and fire. Each city paid $1.43 million to fund the communications center this fiscal year.