The town of Stony Point unveiled its new emergency center Friday, which was opened in the basement of the local police station.
"With the closing of the Stony Point-Farley Bridge this spring, we're going to have increased commercial traffic," says Town Supervisor Phil Marino. "So we have to be prepared for anything that could happen."
The center, named after the popular former Town Councilman Bill Serra, has been in the making for three years. It includes sophisticated phone and television systems for breaking news and weather alerts.
"We can bring that information from outside the police department and bring it in here so we can manage it," says Police Chief Patrick Brophy.
The new center was partially funded by state grants totaling $13,000.
The emergency center may be in operation starting Saturday, when a snowstorm is expected to hit the region.
?We'll have the patrols out tonight to make sure cars are off the road so plows can do their work, and we're taking precautions we need to take,? Brophy says.