Photos clockwise from upper left: These existing public facilities–Municipal Court, Fire Administration, Police Department–would be retired and a new Public Safety Complex constructed, if a planned bond financing is approved in August.
Posted: 6-23-2021
by Adolfo Pesquera
Kerrville (Kerr County) — The Kerrville City Council voted Wednesday to publicize their intent to issue certificates of obligation to finance the acquisition of land and construction of a new public safety complex.
The debt financing, if approved later this summer, would be for an amount not to exceed $7 million. Its purpose would be to consolidate the Kerrville Police Department, Fire Administration and Municipal Court into one facility.
The three existing facilities are all in poor condition, according to a city staff report, and continue to deteriorate. The facilities require costly repairs on an annual basis.
“In addition, the Municipal Court building has well exceeded its useful life. It was intended to be a temporary building when the court moved there in 2004,” the staff report states.
Numerous residents spoke against the council’s plan to use certificates of obligation, noting that City Council has not gone to the voters for a bond proposition since the mid-1980s. Council Member Roman Garcia offered a motion to deny the resolution but it failed for lack of a second.
Council Member Kim Clarkson defended the council’s direction, noting that the process has been transparent and in the budget since 2016 as a future debt-serviced capital improvement project.
Clarkson described the existing facilities as genuine needs, saying was a “failing structure with asbestos, with water running down the walls; a rented facility for the administration on the other side of town; a facility for the municipal court that was never intended to be a permanent facility. I think I would be doing a disservice to our community, to the people who elected me, and to our first responders, if I didn’t take some action now, because of what I’ve seen and what I’ve experienced and the conversations I’ve had with people who work at the police department, the fire department, the citizens.”
Anne Burger Entrekin, a financial manager with Hilltop Securities Inc., told council that the city’s AA bond rating should assure very favorable terms at the time of sale.
The proposed schedule of activities would have all public notice obligations cleared in July. City Council could approve the execution of the bond purchase agreement by Aug. 24, with a tentative closing date of Sept. 16.
In 2018, Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects were hired to perform a feasibility study for a Public Safety Complex. That task was limited to providing a space needs assessment, with phasing options. The feasibility study was completed and accepted by City Council in December 2019. The feasibility study was logged in Virtual Builders Exchange as VBX Project ID 2018-3ECB.
There has been no action to date on the issuance of a Request for Qualifications for a project design architect/engineer.
Status of Existing Facilities:
- 429 Sidney Baker Street – Police Department building is a two-story, pre-cast concrete structure with expansion constraints due to the size of the property.
- 301 McFarland Drive – Municipal Court is in a temporary location–a single story, pre-engineered metal building that does not meet the peak court day load; property area also restricts expansion.
- 87 Coronado Drive North – Fire Administration occupies rental space that is privately owned. The structure has ADA compliance issues and requires substantial interior renovation.
Virtual Builders Exchange will follow the Kerrville Public Safety Complex project as VBX Project ID 2021-449A.
adolfo@virtualbx.com
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