Bee Cave will host a public town hall in order to share information regarding the city’s new public safety building, city officials announced at a meeting held Jan. 28.
The town hall will take place at Bee Cave City Hall on Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m. The city will welcome resident feedback while raising awareness of the city’s partnership with Lake Travis Fire Rescue to build the facility. Designs will also be shared detailing plans for the new building, and residents may come and go as they please, City Manager Julie Oakley said.
The overview
The public safety building has been in talks since 2021, when the city of Bee Cave first formed its Capital Improvement Projects, or CIP, subcommittee, composed of council members Andrea Willott and Kevin Hight as well as Mayor Kara King.
The CIP plan, adopted Oct. 26, 2021, also includes several other city projects like constructing a new library and improving Central Park.
The new public safety building would house both Lake Travis Fire Rescue and the Bee Cave Police Department, who, according to CIP planning documents, require more space than their existing police station can provide.
This station, located at 13333 Hwy. 71, formerly functioned as Bee Cave City Hall, and Mayor King has described police officers as being “crammed in” to the building, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
The city’s budget for the public safety building is set at $18 million, and the new facility will include spaces shared between departments such as a gymnasium and training room. The building will be approximately 19,300 square feet, and construction will take 15-18 months to complete, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
Some context
In November, Bee Cave voters approved Proposition G, which requires voter approval for the city to be able to take any action or pass any ordinance addressing subdivision, significant physical change or alteration, sale, purchase, donation, exchange, or leasing of city property.
Several ongoing city projects have been impacted by this proposition, including the public safety building, City Manager Julie Oakley said.
Following the passing of Proposition G, these projects will need to be placed on the May election ballot for voter approval. Although construction documentation for the public safety building is expected to be finalized by March, the construction phase will not be able to begin until after the May election, Oakley said.
What else?
Other ongoing projects impacted by Proposition G which may appear on the May election ballot include a new library, Bee Cave Parkway safety improvements, road overlay and guardrails, Central Park infrastructure improvements, turn lanes on Vail Divide, and an extension of Tordera Drive, Oakley said.