Regional Operations Center back in business at Eastgate

The former Eastgate Mall building once again houses more than 100 Indianapolis public-safety personnel after owner Alex Carroll made dozens of fixes in accordance with a December settlement agreement.

Public Safety Director Troy Riggs is set to lead a media tour Friday afternoon of the Regional Operations Center, which houses the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s east district headquarters and the emergency operations center, run by the Division of Homeland Security.

Riggs will highlight corrections to the potential life-threatening conditions that prompted him to vacate the building last fall, Deputy Director Valerie Washington said. Personnel began moving back in at the end of May.

The main issue, Washington said, was that walls did not extend from the interior ceiling to the roof deck, which created fire-code problems.

Under the settlement agreement, Carroll, who owns Lifeline Data Centers, and his affiliated companies addressed a 41-item punch list, which was to be completed by May.

The ceiling-roof gap was one item on the punch list, which included installation of items such as a vinyl baseboards and floor coverings, as well as a basement fire door and bullet-resistant material in the reception area.

Also under the agreement, the city paid $118,000 to reimburse Carroll’s firms for insurance, other improvements that had been made at the city’s request, maintenance and the use of data lines.

Former Public Safety Director Frank Straub arranged for the long-term 76,000-square-foot lease of the building, for which the city will pay $57,083 a month for the next 15 years. The monthly rents will increase in years 15 through 25.

Separately, a City-County Council commission is investigating the circumstances of that lease.