The facility replaces Lewisville’s aging fire and police facilities—built in the ‘70s and ‘80s, respectively—and shows the city’s efforts to recruit and retain employees, Assistant City Manager Jim Proce said. Housing police, fire and dispatch personnel, the center will also provide community access to all public safety departments in one place.
The details
The center, located on Main Street, is one of the largest city projects at almost 300,000 square feet, Internal Services Manager Chris Presley said. The focal point is a 102,000-square-foot police and fire administration building and central fire station, a campus almost twice the size of previous buildings.
Next to those buildings is a 169,000-square-foot parking garage above a 20,000-square-foot support building, Presley said.
The support building will house canine units, a SWAT equipment room, and a space to process and store evidence, Assistant Police Chief Bill Wawro said.
The fire station has five engine bays and an alert system for emergency calls, which will improve response times, Assistant Fire Chief Chris Sweet said.
“The increased footprint allows ... the department to maintain its stock more efficiently,” Sweet said.
The context
About $5 million from the 2021 bond was allocated to renovate an existing structure off Lakeway Drive for police and fire to continue operations during construction of the new center, in addition to funding a modular fire station off McGee Lane, Presley said. Officials plan to convert the modular station into a salt brine facility to aid the city in manufacturing salt during cold weather once the departments move out.
“As we were designing [the center], we were designing the temporary facilities, so it was two massive projects going on at the same time,” Presley said.
Supply chain issues and surges in material pricing during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to fluctuations in project cost. Expenses exceeding the $95 million in bond funds were covered with surplus funds from other capital projects left over from previous bonds, Proce said.
Both departments transitioned to the shared temporary space in 2023, allowing them to begin working in a collaborative facility, Rollins said.
The impact
The police and fire departments’ close proximity also enables quick, precise communication that is crucial during emergencies, Wawro said.
Wawro said officers and firefighters will constantly cross paths in the new center, establishing comfortability and avoiding communication breakdowns during a critical incident that can arise in unfamiliar teams.
"Time saves lives,” Presley said.
Looking ahead
The city is eyeing the first quarter of 2025 for personnel to transition to the new center, an operation Rollins anticipates could take between 30-90 days. In addition to resident communication, and police and fire collaboration, Rollins and Sweet said both departments will prioritize recruitment and retention as well as improving service once settled in.
On the fire department’s side, Sweet said improving service could be adding new equipment or improving training. Rollins plans to unveil a system that holds officers accountable for respective sections of the city.
“You’re going to get better service from this building because people will be glad to be here,” Presley said. “If we can improve someone and their service by 1% or 2% because of the new building, we’ve just made the city a better place.”
