A new training academy is needed for meeting and training purposes, as well as additional office space, locker rooms and more, according to meeting documents.
The specifics
The almost $2 million contract with Komatsu will provide the county with the firm’s architecture and engineering services, which include:
- Conceptual/schematic design
- Design development
- Construction drawings
- Opinion of probable cost
Commissioners and Sheriff Bill Waybourn expressed support Nov. 21 to renovate the buildings at 1500 Circle Drive in Fort Worth to infill the interior of the building and improve the exterior of the building. The space at 5051 Circle Drive will be renovated to provide SWAT vehicle storage and personnel. Estimates show the renovation project would cost about $25.84 million.
A firing range and tactical village are not included in this renovation, but could be a separate project the county pursues later, officials said.
Substantial completion of the project is slated for December 2024, officials said.
Another viewpoint
Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons cast the lone vote against the project. Before the vote, she expressed concern about reports of inmates dying in the Tarrant County jail.
“[The county is] paying for training that is apparently not being adhered to,” she said. “Paying to expand facilities—I don’t find that to be fiscally sound judgment.”
