City Council approved the acquisition Thursday of a new public safety headquarters that would house Austin Emergency Services, Austin Police Department and Austin Fire Department.
The proposed public safety campus will be a 386,000-square-foot facility located in Southwest Austin near Zilker Park, and the purchase price of the building will be around $107.6 million, according to a City of Austin press release. Mayor Kirk Watson said in an Oct. 11 press conference that the conditions of the current Austin Emergency Services, Austin Police Department and Austin Fire Department buildings are outdated and need to be replaced.
“This is a cost effective, efficient and far more sustainable solution compared to leasing or constructing a new building or buildings, or trying to remodel and fix the current headquarters,” Watson said in the press conference.
The Austin Emergency Services current headquarters has various expired systems including outdated fire alarm and detection systems, water distribution systems and sanitary waste systems, Watson said.
Shannon Koesterer, captain of Austin Emergency Services’ public information office, said there was a lot of excitement within Austin EMS after the announcement of the proposed facility, and the new location would still give Austin Emergency Services the ability to respond to major incidents around the city.
“The potential for that singular headquarters and its access is phenomenal,” Koesterer said. “It’s an exciting prospect, and we hope it continues to get momentum.”
Robert Luckritz, chief of Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, said this is a major step forward for public infrastructure. He said for several years they have looked at different options to consolidate Austin’s public safety departments.
“We are excited for the opportunity to be able to grow,” Luckritz said in the press conference. “This new facility will give us that opportunity to be able to address the needs of the growing city of Austin and Travis County.”
Watson said the Austin Police Department Headquarters, located downtown and built in 1970, is overcrowded and inaccessible to the public, faces wastewater breaks and leaks, has non-functioning bathrooms and experiences mechanical problems.
“We talk about valuing community engagement and community service,” police chief Lisa Davis said at the press conference. “There’s no space in this building to gather, no space for the community to come and for us to meet with them.”
The Austin Fire Department headquarters, built in 1960, has a “faulty foundation” with cracked walls and ceilings, significant ADA challenges and mechanical problems, Watson said.
“A shared public safety headquarters will facilitate increased collaboration, innovation and efficiency among the three agencies,” said Rob Vires, assistant Austin Fire Department chief, during the press conference.
