From the City of Sugar Land:
Sugar Land City Council recently approved a $727,500 architectural contract to design the second phase of a public safety training facility located near Sugar Land Regional Airport.
The project was included in a $90.76 million bond package approved by voters in 2019. The voter-approved projects focus on public safety, drainage and traffic/mobility – the three topic priorities identified by residents in previous Citizen Satisfaction Surveys.
Voters approved more than $26 million of the total to fund public safety and facility projects, including $10 million for phase two of the public safety training facility. The second phase focuses on a training building and an apparatus bay/classroom building. Completion of the design is expected by the end of the year.
The simulation training involves close quarters, non-lethal, force-on-force practice in a short-range environment. The apparatus building will include six bays for department vehicles, some of which are currently stored in covered storage areas. The enclosed space will allow for consolidated storage of various pieces of equipment that are stored throughout the city at various fire stations and other city facilities. This space will also allow for advanced indoor training regardless of weather conditions.
The new building will accommodate incident command simulation training, EMS training, smoke diver and “saving your own” safety programs and a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus confidence course. The facilities will also include a driving pad to enable various skills training with motorcycles, ambulances, fire engines and public works vehicles.
Other phase-two improvements will include outdoor classrooms, restrooms, site drainage, a water line loop, electricity service and a septic system.
Future phases will include a multi-story burn tower, a Class A burn building, expansion of the temporary range to include 50- and 100-yard shooting ranges, completion of the driving skills pad and a joint-use administration/classroom building.
“Training is an essential part of the work we do to ensure the safety of our residents and also the first-responders who must place themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe,” said Assistant City Manager Doug Brinkley. “Our residents have been clear on the continued need to invest in projects that ensure we remain one of the safest cities in the nation. We’ve worked hard to deliver on our promise from the 2019 GO Bond election.”
For more, visit www.sugarlandtx.gov/gobond.
