Copyright 2005 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By LESSIE SCURRY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gone are the days when College Park police had to worry about mold and cramped quarters, and when firefighters lived and worked in a dilapidated building.
The two emergency staffs now have a new $14 million home to call their own.
The College Park Public Safety Complex, at 3717 College St., houses the Fire and Police departments, a 16-bed jail and the Municipal Court, which is scheduled for its first session within days.
The complex, which also includes public parking for about 200 vehicles, marks the first time the departments have come together under one roof.
Construction began in October 2004 and was completed last month about $2 million under the initial $16.5 million budget.
“We tried to put as much into the facility as we could technology-wise and functionally,” said project manager Jim Smith. “We were careful how we spent taxpayer money.”
The complex has 60,000 square feet of space. The 21,000-square-foot area for the Fire Department includes three large emergency response vehicle bays, eating and sleeping areas, and work space.
The 30,000-square-foot area for the Police Department features an indoor four-station firing range, an E911, or enhanced 911 call center, SWAT operations, an evidence storage area, a community room for public meetings, and office space for the administration, patrol and investigation divisions.
The municipal courtroom, downstairs near the jail, has 9,000 square feet of space and seats up to 200 people.
The Fire and Police departments had been two blocks away on Columbia Avenue. The idea of a public safety complex that combines both fire and police in one location had been considered for 10 to 15 years, Smith said, with site plans in different places throughout the years.
The complex is at the corner of College Street and Princeton Avenue off Main Street.
“We put it here because of the proximity to the center of the city,” he said.
“We were always looking for parcels of land, and we knew we could make it work here. We made some good decisions in land acquisitions and bought some properties out around the land [we already owned].”
The area was mostly vacant before construction began, but the site contained a variety market that had to be torn down and a gas station with underground tanks that had to be removed.
Smith said the city personnel were so excited about the complex that they could not stay away.
“They came over during the construction phase almost daily to see what was going on,” he said.