Work is set to begin on the long-awaited Bartlesville Public Safety Complex — a two-facility complex that will house local police and fire departments.
The complex will be located on the northwest corner of Johnstone Avenue and Adams Boulevard, with Keeler Avenue as a western boundary and Sixth Street to the north.
Approved by voters in the 2012 General Obligation bond issue election, work on the complex was stalled due to a legal issue, but city officials said recently that work is set to begin on March 21.
“We faced some hurdles in getting this project started, but we are scheduled to begin construction at the site on March 21,” said City of Bartlesville Director of Engineering Micah Siemers.
The work will be completed by Crossland Construction Co. of Tulsa. Construction is expected to take approximately eight months to complete. Once finished, the complex will include construction of a new police station on the southern portion of the site and a major expansion of the existing Central Fire Station, which is currently located at the northern end of the site.
Central Fire Station is one of four fire stations strategically located within the city of Bartlesville, immediately available to respond to the downtown and surrounding areas. Expansion plans for the facility include the construction of new living/sleeping quarters for firefighters and an additional apparatus bay that can accommodate larger fire trucks.
Once the facility is complete, the fire station will also house fire administration personnel, who currently office at the nearby City Hall, and will include a training room large enough to accommodate police and fire personnel.
In addition to the fire station expansion, a new police station will be constructed at the site, which will include facilities for core police functions, including office space, record storage, interview rooms and a drug lab. There are no provisions for inmates, who are instead held at the Washington County Detention Center, a Washington County-owned facility. The current police station is located at 100 E. Hensley. The small, outdated facility was heavily damage by flood waters in 1986.
