If county commissioners decide to move forward with work on a new emergency services building, there are plenty of funding options available.

The board voted unanimously Oct. 28 to look into two such possibilities, giving White Pine County Finance Director Charlie Rodewald the authority to investigate $750,000 in financing over a 10-year period. In a related action, the board voted to explore the option of using previously appropriated capital improvement funds for the project.

However, the board's move does not mean the project is a done deal, according to Commissioner RaLeene Makley.

"This is to get the ball rolling to see if we're eligible for the financing," Makley said.

The additional funding could help cover higher than expected costs to build the two-story facility at a former rest area on the McGill Highway.

The county received a record 21 bids on the construction project. Yet all of those bids came in at least $1 million above the initial $1.2 million estimate provided by Reno-based architect Ganthner Melby, LLC.

According to Public Works Director Kerry Sprouse, Ganthner Melby had suggested that the county could save 30 percent on construction costs, given the current economic climate.

"I think we were all surprised when these bids came in higher than what his cost estimate was," Sprouse told commissioners. "I think it made us go ... how much faith do we have in this architect?"

But just because the projected costs have grown doesn't mean the county should abandon work on the facility, he said.

"It appears to me that when we do have the opportunity to make these improvements, in a lot of cases it appears those improvements have not been done," Sprouse said. "What happens is the funding gets depleted and here we are down at the bottom again."

Currently, the county is in good financial shape, he said: It previously set aside $1.2 million for a juvenile justice facility that has since been scrapped, along with an additional $800,000 for a pumping station that would have been built near the abandoned project.

"As far as the funding goes, we're probably in a better position than we've been in 20 years," Sprouse said.

While the project bids far exceeded the county's expectations, White Pine County Building Official Chris Flannery noted that the lowest proposal came in at $118 per square foot.

"You can't even build a home for that (price)," Flannery said. "It's like, let's strike the iron while it's hot."

Project costs are just one factor that may influence the commission's final decision on the project: County officials also urged the board to consider the long-term needs that a centralized facility could meet.

Currently, the county's first responders are hemmed in by traffic congestion on Campton Street. But if those departments are moved to a new location, they may be able to improve their response times, according to Nuclear Waste Project Office Director Mike Simon and Economic Diversification Director Karen Rajala.

Moreover, the new facility would be better positioned to accommodate future population growth, which is expected to occur along the McGill Highway and northward into Duck Creek Valley, Simon said.

If the emergency services building takes shape at the former rest area site, residents in the surrounding area could see their home insurance rates drop significantly, according to Fire District Chief David Hendrix.

As an added benefit, the facility could complement fire and rescue services at Ely's Yelland Field Airport, Hendrix said.

It would also provide additional space for living quarters, storage bays and shower facilities that meet emergency response guidelines, he said.