 County Breaks Ground on New DU-COMM Facility
County Board member and Emergency Telephone System Board Chairman Gary Grasso attended the groundbreaking ceremony on the site of the DuPage Public Safety Communications’ (DU-COMM) new communications center.
The center will occupy more than 30,000 square feet of new construction and renovated space at the former DuPage Youth Home on the County campus in Wheaton.
Du-COMM is an intergovernmental agency that provides public safety communications services to 44 police, fire, and EMS agencies in DuPage County that has outgrown its current facility in Glendale Heights. The new facility on the county campus will cost an estimated $15.87 million and will be partially financed by DuPage County. That cost will be repaid by DU-COMM over its 25 year lease agreement.
The project not only repurposes an underutilized building and provides a revenue stream for DuPage County, it also provides a state-of-the-art communications center to enhance the County’s 9-1-1 emergency response system.
  County Hosts Annual Sustainable Design Challenge
County Board members John Curran and Brian Krajewski met with students from several DuPage County high schools who displayed their “green” building projects to the public at the 11th annual Sustainable Design Challenge. Participating high schools included Wheaton Warrenville South, York Community (Elmhurst), Glenbard East (Lombard), Lake Park (Roselle) and Hinsdale South (Darien).
Nearly 30 student groups presented models of their designs to a panel of judges, as well as the public, County Board members, local professionals and County and municipal staff. Students explained the design elements that made their building sustainable, including renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines, water conservation elements using native plant landscaping and rain barrels and green infrastructure for stormwater management.
For more information about the Sustainable Design Challenge and past projects, please visit www.scarce.org/event/sustainable-design-challenge2017.
 County Board Meets with Officials in Springfield
Chairman Dan Cronin and six County Board members went to Springfield in April to meet with legislative leaders and the Governor. The group discussed the state budget situation with Gov. Bruce Rauner, Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and other members of the DuPage County delegation. Chairman Cronin also testified about DuPage County’s Accountability, Consolidation and Transparency Initiative, along with the need for legislation supporting efficient government practices before the Senate Government Reform Committee.
Chairman Dan Cronin and Emergency Telephone System Board Chairman Gary Grasso presented a proclamation to local telecommunications personnel who answer emergency and 911 calls, dispatch first responders and render assistance during a crisis.
In DuPage County, 153 telecommunicators answered more than 923,000 911 calls in 2016. They work around the clock in three different shifts in four different dispatch centers, providing help during emergencies and often saving lives.
Legislative Committee Chairman John Curran greets Michael Garrison from the International Council of Shopping Centers. Garrison provided members of the Legislative Committee with an update about sales tax legislation pending in Washington, D.C.
The DuPage County Board, the College of DuPage and the Village of Glen Ellyn signed a new intergovernmental agreement transferring the authority to perform building, zoning and liquor inspections at COD back to the Village.
This action follows a period of five years during which the County has overseen those responsibilities. Chairman Dan Cronin and the Board expressed their firm support for the new leadership at COD and the Village and the strong desire to support collaboration among all entities.
In March 2012, the Village and COD agreed to transfer regulatory control to the county while keeping COD within the corporate limits of Glen Ellyn. That five-year agreement was forged by the late County Board member JR McBride from Glen Ellyn who sought to resolve disputes between the two, hoping a short-term agreement would give the entities time to resolve differences.
The intergovernmental agreement takes effect on June 30.
DuPage County officials dedicated the DuPage Convalescent Center as the Kenneth Moy DuPage Care Center this April, in honor of the retired judge and former DuPage County Board member.
Ken Moy became the first Asian-American elected to county government in the state of Illinois when he won a seat on the DuPage County Board in 1984. He won re-election to the Board in 1988 and 1994. During that time, he also served as a DuPage Forest Preserve Commissioner. He then served as a member of the 18th Circuit Court for 11 years from 1996 to his retirement in 2007.
In May 2016, Judge Moy announced he was making a $2 million gift to the Convalescent Center, prompted by his “deep desire to help seniors and disabled adults,” related to his own experience with his wife, who is battling Alzheimer’s disease.
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