The overview
This decision marks a step forward in the development of the new facility, which will house both Bee Cave Police Department and Lake Travis Fire Rescue. Both entities are contributing funds for the construction, which is estimated to cost $33 million in total. Shared spaces like a gymnasium and training room are included in the building plans.
Of the $18 million approved, $14.3 million is allocated to construction costs. The remaining amount covers the cost of the land purchase, furniture and equipment, professional fees, and an owner’s contingency fund.
Over the past few months, through various cost reduction concepts discussed by the city, costs for the building have been reduced by $800,000.
Planning for the building first began in 2021, when the Capital Improvement Projects subcommittee was formed. Apart from constructing a new police station, other goals listed by the subcommittee include relocating both City Hall and the library. The subcommittee is composed of council members Andrea Willott and Kevin Hight, alongside Mayor Kara King.
Explained
Major concerns regarding the current police headquarters mostly pertain to space constraints and age of the building, according to the CIP subcommittee’s planning documents.
Mayor Kara King has previously remarked that police officers are “crammed in” to their current space, and has emphasized the need for a new facility with more room. Existing officer facilities are stationed within the building formerly designated as Bee Cave’s City Hall, which was constructed in 1998. The space was not originally intended to house such a large and expanding police force and lacks training rooms, an interrogation space and a proper evidence room, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
Construction for the new police station is projected to begin sometime between March and April, and will take 15-18 months to complete. The building will be 19,300 square feet, including its shared spaces with Lake Travis Fire Rescue.
Also of note
Bee Cave’s new library building was also discussed at the Oct. 8 City Council meeting. Plans for the library’s construction have continued to change since they were first put forward in 2021. The most recent construction plan for the library building, as discussed at the council meeting Sept. 17, would have cost the city approximately $30 million, Willott said. As a result, the council is back to the drawing board.
“We are now currently looking at different sites for the library, and kind of the consensus of the committee was that we’re starting over,” Willott said.
While the original budget set for the library in 2021 was $15 million, the projected costs had risen to $25 million by May 14, 2024, according to a CIP subcommittee report. The increase, according to the report, was due partially to inflation but also to challenges presented by the topography of the land on which the library was going to be built. This land is part of the Revival property, owned by the city, which is no longer under consideration for the project.
“We’re not going to build it on the Revival property; we’re going to look at other locations to build it,” Willott said. “We don’t want to go over $20 million. We’re going to be looking at Skaggs [property], and we’re going to be looking at some locations in Central Park.”
What else?
Plans are not yet solidified for the relocation of City Hall, but Spanish Oaks has been floated as a potential location for the new building. The budget for the reconstruction, listed in the 2021 document by the CIP subcommittee, was $13.8 million. $11 million is anticipated to be funded, in part, by sale of the current City Hall at 4000 Galleria Parkway, according to the document. An estimated start date for construction on this project has not been publicly announced as of press time.
