EAST ST. LOUIS — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined local officials on Thursday to herald the St. Clair County Transit District's new $15 million public safety building at the Emerson Park MetroLink station.
The 16,000-square-foot, two-story facility includes a 911 dispatch center for the county, office space for sheriff's deputies who patrol MetroLink, holding cells, a training area and other features.
The facility, which opened in April, was paid for with a $9.9 million Illinois state grant through the Rebuild Illinois program and money from the transit district and the Bi-State Development Agency, which runs MetroLink.
"It's always a proud moment to see those historic investments come to life," Pritzker said at the grand opening event.
Kevin Scott, Bi-State's general manager for security, said the facility will get the same MetroLink surveillance camera feeds that go to Metro Transit's main security center in St. Louis.
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The building also will become a backup control center for MetroLink and MetroBus' security and general operations, Scott said. The facility is part of Bi-State's efforts to improve security on MetroLink.