The new facility will replace Lewisville’s aging police and fire facilities and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. The change order reduced the project cost by $1.5 million, Assistant City Manager Jim Proce said.
Funding for the center comes from the $95 million bond Lewisville voters approved in 2021, according to city documents. After the approved change order, the total cost for the project is $101.5 million.
The details
Officials allocated contingency funds to cover unpredictable risks for the project such as soil contamination and subsurface rock impeding excavation, Proce said.
As construction crews near completion on the project, these risks did not materialize and prompting officials to request a change order to reduce the cost in light of the savings, he said.
The backstory
The city’s previous police and fire departments were built in the 1970s and 1980s, and expanded in the 1990s. Due to the aging infrastructure, the city decided to build a joint facility rather than add to the old facilities or relocate the departments, Deputy City Manager Eric Ferris previously told Community Impact.
The previous facilities were demolished in 2023. The new center will be built in their location at the corner of Main Street and Valley Parkway, per city documents. After council approval in 2022, the center was named after former Lewisville Fire Chief Tim Tittle and former Lewisville Police Chief Steve McFadden.
Both departments transferred to a temporary facility in 2023, located 1955 Lakeway Drive, from which they will operate until the center is complete. The 2021 bond allocated $5 million to this expense, according to city documents.
Zooming in
The fire and police buildings in the new complex will be more than three times the size of Lewisville’s existing police and fire buildings. A 4.5-story deck parking garage will provide secure parking for fire and police personnel. The exterior will feature a courtyard and balconies, according to city documents.
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.
Going forward
The project is slated to be completed late this year. Both departments will relocate to the building Jan. 2025, Proce said.
After the transition, the city will unveil the center and the accompanying art sculpture to the public.