The city’s police and fire departments are in the process of relocating to a temporary facility to allow for the demolition of the police department building, located at 1187 W. Main St., and the Central Fire Station, located at 188 N. Valley Parkway.
Lewisville voters approved a $95 million bond measure in 2021, clearing the way for a new public safety complex to be built with no effect on residents’ property tax rates. The project was originally estimated to cost $96.7 million; however, cost escalation and a scope increase raised the estimated cost to $125 million. Ferris said the city is working to decrease costs, and the overage will be covered through funding mechanisms such as capital projects or fund reserves.
The Central Fire Station was originally built in 1975 and the police department in 1984. Both were expanded in 1997. Instead of adding on to facilities or relocating, a decision was made to build a shared joint facility, Deputy City Manager Eric Ferris said.
“It was really key to be somewhere in the heart of the city for both [departments],” he said.
The 116,000-square-foot complex will be more than three times the size of Lewisville’s existing police and fire buildings. A four and a half deck parking garage will provide secure parking for fire and police personnel. The exterior will feature a courtyard and balconies.
“It’ll be a community cornerstone,” Ferris said. “It will be an attractive building, a user-friendly building, but it’ll also be safe for employees to work in and designed accordingly.”
Interior features include a public lobby, shared conference rooms for the two departments, workout spaces, a large technology-equipped training center that can be divided into smaller classrooms and large break rooms.
Ferris said amenities were determined through feedback from both police and fire departments.
The new public safety center sends a message that Lewisville values its police and fire administrations, Ferris said.
“It’s a very high need for police and fire services in our city and we want to equip them to provide that to the citizens in a progressive, aesthetically pleasing way,” he said. “We want to represent to the community that we’re very proud of this and here’s our building, but provide an efficient, safe place for them to work that will last through the decades.”
