AUBURN — Imagine it: police, fire and dispatch operations all housed at one location.

That’s the plan city leaders have in mind, and now they’re one step closer to getting it done thanks to $2.5 million from the federal government announced Friday morning.

A statement from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, confirmed that $2.5 million she requested for the Auburn Public Safety building project was included in the fiscal year 2022 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill.

The plan is to renovate and expand the Central Fire Station on Minot Avenue to include police, fire and dispatch operations.

Collins visited the site in October.

The proposed $27 million project will likely head to referendum in November.

A plan to renovate and expand the Central Fire Station on Minot Avenue in Auburn to house fire, police and disptach departments got a $2.5 million boost from the federal government Friday. The proposed $27 million project will likely head to referendum in November. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal file photo

The building would also provide space for fire station administrative support, a 911 call center, an emergency operations center, and common public space, as well as shared program rooms, according to Collins. An addition would also be made to the building to support a tower truck.

Authorities say a centralized public safety building would improve critical communication between all aspects of the city’s safety services.

“Ensuring that Auburn’s finest and bravest have adequate facilities is essential to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the emergency services they provide,” Collins said, in the media statement. “The Auburn Police Department’s current headquarters at City Hall were intended to be a temporary solution, but they have been there for more than a dozen years. The Central Fire Station is also in need of expansion and renovation. This project will solve both problems by creating a public safety campus at the Central Fire Station.”

“Auburn is thankful that Sen. Collins recognizes the critical service that Auburn’s first responders provide for the entire region,” Mayor Jason Levesque said. “This funding will allow us to continue our good work for decades to come.”