ST. CLOUD, Fla. – St. Cloud city leaders are considering borrowing $90 million to build a new fire headquarters, three new fire stations, as well as a public safety complex.
Police Chief Doug Goerke said they’ve seen a 25% bump up in staff here at the St. Cloud Police Department in the past three years and they’re also at full capacity at their current building. Several people working in their department work in different areas throughout the city.
“We’ve actually been in this building for about 25 years now. We certainly need additional facilities to make sure we’re providing adequate public safety moving forward,” said St. Cloud Police Department Police Chief Doug Goerke.
It’s why city leaders want to turn these 50 acres of land right off Canoe Road into a state-of-the-art public safety complex.
Goerke said it’ll house a new police department headquarters as well as a communications center and a live training facility for first responders.
“What we would like to do with start with is at least up to three buildings. The first building, we’re gonna build a state of emergency operation center communication center to manage any critical, including hurricanes,” said Goerke.
City leaders are looking to borrow $90 million from the Florida Local Finance Commission to pay for the complex as well as a new fire headquarters, three new fire stations and a ballpark.
“The 1% sales tax, we’re gonna be using some of that to fund the debt. we’re not necessarily putting it back on our community. Obviously we just saw the interest rates are starting to fall. That’s fantastic for us. We can potentially renegotiate our refinance that debt. bringing it down even further and lower for our debt payments,” said Goerke.
Some residents who live nearby say they’re happy that the complex is being created instead of more housing developments.
Goerke said they’re coming up with designs and renderings of what the facility could look like right now.
He said the first phase of building the complex could cost around $30 million.
Goerke hopes they can break ground for the public safety complex as early as next year.
The city council meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at City Hall in St. Cloud.
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