5 things that make the new Johnson County Ambulance Service and Medical Examiner Building a ‘game changer’

IOWA CITY - Multiple Johnson County departments have new space in a multimillion-dollar, eco-friendly Ambulance Service and Medical Examiner Building.

Officials debuted the building located to the public at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday. The $7.69 million facility, located at 808 South Dubuque Street in Iowa City, was funded by cash reserves and property taxes and is set to house both the ambulance and medical examiner's departments as well as some county facilities staff and vehicles and Auditor's Office election equipment.

'This is going to be a game-changer for us,” said Clayton Schuneman, administrative director for the Medical Examiner Department. 'We have the facilities now to really provide a high level of service to the community, and that's what we're ultimately what we're trying to do.”

All medical examiner staff have been working out of the building since Monday, Schuneman said. On the ambulance side, administrative and billing offices already have moved while the crews and ambulances are expected to move Monday and Tuesday, said Steve Spenler, Ambulance Service director.

'This has been a vision even before I became director,” Spenler, who has been in his position for about 16 years, said 'It's a sense of accomplishment, definitely.”

Among the building's features:

Sustainability - The facility was built with a number of sustainable features in hopes it will earn at least a LEED silver certification. The building's roof top includes plants to help cool the roof and a drainage system to manage stormwater, among other features.

Crews are soon expected to install solar panels on the building's roof. They're could provide for about 50 percent of the building's electricity, Spenler said.

Public storm shelter - The facility has a 1,300-square-foot storm shelter, which is meant to hold the building's maximum occupancy. In addition, because it's a public building, community members also can use it if they need shelter from a storm or disaster, Mickey Miller, county grants and communications specialist, said in an email.

'Daylighting” - The new building's was designed with a 'daylighting” concept, according to the county's building fact sheet. The concept uses windows that naturally will light the building and reduce energy use for artificial lighting.

'In our old facility, you never knew if it was raining or sunny out because there were hardly any windows. With this facility, it was just glass everywhere and plenty of daylight,” Spenler said.

Ambulance growth - Ambulance Service is moving from a 3,600-square-foot facility into the new 36,000-square-foot building.

The new space is expected to help accommodate the increased demand for ambulances. Calls to the department are up 40 percent over the last five years, according to the fact sheet.

In addition, in its former space the department had only four garage spaces, compared with six in the new building. In all, the department has seven ambulances, three of which were too tall to even fit into the old building, and plans to add an eighth next month, Spenler said.

Respect and collaboration - The Medical Examiner Department now has an open-office investigative area to help spur communication among staff members.

The Medial Examiner Department also now has some garage space so its vehicles can be stored indoors.

'It's really nice to get our vehicles indoors. We'll be able to keep them clean that way. For us, showing up and transporting somebody's loved one in a dirty vehicle is something we don't take pride in,” Schuneman said.

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