City councilors are weighing whether a new emergency operations center should be built in Boston.
An aging brick building in Jamaica Plain is stirring talk of change at Boston City Hall.
"We need to look closely at that facility and figure out what our plan is," said Boston City Councilor Ben Weber, who represents District 6.
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"It's not useful, it's old, it's obsolete, in my opinion," said District 2 City Councilor Ed Flynn.
Boston's Emergency Operations Center on Bragdon Street is said to be lacking space and basic facilities, with some suggesting it creates logistical hurdles during citywide emergencies.
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"It's functional, but in the event of — we need to be prepared for some pretty severe, even weather events, at this moment in time," said District 9 City Councilor Liz Breadon.
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Replacing the facility won't come cheap. In fact, council discussed the possibility years ago, with a price tag of $19 million — a total that would likely be far higher in 2025.
"I imagine it would cost much more," said Breadon. "You don't get much for $19 million in Boston in 2025."
But others seem to be against the idea.
"The Office of Emergency Management's current office location at Bragdon Street is sufficient for carrying out their duties," a city spokesperson said in a statement. "We will continue to have conversations with the Boston City Council."
"It's something that we need to attend to," said Breadon.
Councilors say it's less about today and more about the needs of tomorrow.
"We could be talking about winter storms, hurricanes and other large storms," City Councilor-at-Large Henry Santana said at a February council meeting.
"We might be managing right now, but as I said, if we have an extreme weather event, like a Superstorm Sandy, we're going to have a lot of challenges," said Breadon.
A hearing on the issue was scheduled for Tuesday, but it was postponed. Councilors hope to speak with the Office of Emergency Management, Boston 311 and the Boston Police Department.
