Council OKs agreement to build police, firefighter training facility

By Cassie Tomlin

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 | 9:55 a.m.

Boulder City and Henderson plan to start building the first phase of a public safety training facility in the Eldorado Valley by June.

The center for police and firefighters is 10 years in the works and would be the first of its kind in the Las Vegas Valley, officials said.

The Boulder City Council last night approved a memorandum of understanding with the city of Henderson which states Boulder City will contribute 720 acres of land to the project, and Henderson will initially contribute $1 million and two modular buildings.

The Henderson City Council is scheduled to consider approving the agreement April 14. The cities are expected to immediately draft a governance document, which will outline responsibilities and liabilities.

The Boulder City Council voted 3-1 to develop the $6 million project off U.S. 95 near Silver State Materials, just north of the dry lake bed.

Councilman Mike Pacini was absent and Councilman Travis Chandler voted no.

He argued the Boulder City charter doesn’t permit the police and fire training grounds in the valley, where police currently train at two makeshift shooting ranges and on an emergency vehicle operating course.

The facility will eventually have five firing ranges, two training tracks for emergency vehicle operators, a rappelling tower, a burn tower, a shoot house, a mock jail cell, SWAT and K-9 obstacles courses and classrooms for police and fire training.

Henderson and Boulder City could also rent the facility to other law enforcement agencies, Henderson Police Chief Jutta Chambers said.

She said at least a dozen law enforcement agencies are routinely checking on the facility’s status.

“If we build this, they will come,” Chambers said.

In 2007, the city commissioned Poggemeyer Design Group to create a four-phase master plan for the project.

Each phase will start as the cities secure money. Boulder City will not go into debt to pay for the project, City Manager Vicki Mayes said.

The $1.6 million first phase would expand roads, water pipelines and electricity transmission lines to the area and install the modular buildings, said Larry Carrol, Poggemeyer’s managing principal.

In June, Henderson will move the two modular buildings to the site, Chambers said.

The $2.8 million second phase would build the ranges. The $1 million third phase would build the SWAT ranges, and the $656,000 fourth phase would build a second vehicle course.

Chambers said Henderson is committed to the project. “Henderson doesn’t have the land that somebody isn’t going to build a house next to shortly,” she said. “We desperately need a training facility for our officers.”