“This is an exciting time for us,” Salame said. "We gather to celebrate a major milestone in the history of the Grapevine Police Department, and for that matter the city as a whole, because this is not just a building for the police, fire, municipal court, IT and all the employees here, this is actually a facility that’s important for the entire community.”
In 2012 residents voted in favor of a new public safety building as a part of the $68 million bond proposal package, which also included the funding of The REC. On Tuesday morning Salame estimated he had been asked a thousand times about when the building would finally open. This was something Mayor William Tate also pointed out when he addressed those in attendance, as the prominent location of the building drew eyes as it went up more day after day.
“Today represents a historic and significant day in the life and development of our community, especially in terms of public safety,” Tate said. “It represents the fulfillment of the vote of the people in this community.”
This room houses police and fire dispatch at Grapevine's new Public Safety Building. Screens surround the room with plenty of space for dispatchers to work.[/caption]The four-story building will house the police and fire departments, the city jail, police dispatch, information technology services and the municipal court. At 104,000 square feet, the building hosts multiple training spaces and larger storage areas for property and evidence, larger work spaces for employees, laundry facilities and a kitchen with a warming oven for the jail, two indoor kennels for the city’s K9 unites, collaboration areas for detectives and more. Walls throughout the building are color coded to help city employees and visitors find their way through the massive interior.
Tate gave special thanks in his address to public servants who had worked for years in “inferior surroundings” to pave the way for the new facility.
“I’m grateful to the people of this community who have worked together and paid their taxes and sacrificed and volunteered to put us in a position to have a facility like this,” Tate said. “You can go throughout this state or throughout this country, and probably the facilities that we’ve come from that we consider inferior would be good enough for them. But it is just unbelievable for us to do this. It’s the biggest thing we’ve ever done.”
He discussed the importance of the building while remembering one night in 2012 when his own home caught fire in the middle of the night, and he and his family became the recipient of public safety services.
Mayor William Tate addresses the crowd gathered for the dedication ceremony of the new Public Safety Building in Grapevine on Sept. 5.[/caption]“If you’ve ever needed public safety relief in this town, you can appreciate the significance of what today means,” Tate said.
The Public Safety Building will be the first time for the police and fire departments to be housed under the same roof in Grapevine. It was something Salame jokingly referred to as “an experiment in human behavior.”
“We are excited for the partnership and we’re looking forward to the collaboration that’s going to occur because of the proximity of having the two different departments together,” he added on a more serious note.
Fire Chief Darrell Brown agreed in his address, saying he looks forward to the ease of accessibility the two departments will have with each other.
“That’s really what it’s all about folks, is we’re about protecting the families of this great community,” Brown said.
Following the ribbon cutting, tours commenced on the new facility. Grapevine Police Department Media Manager Amanda McNew said this is probably the only time the facility will be as open as it is now. Even during future open houses, she said, many of the hallways will have to remain closed off as they fill with secure information and evidence.
Tours continued Tuesday until 7 p.m.
