New Public Safety Complex Breaks Ground in Colorado
By CN Staff
CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo.—Chaffee County has announced the start of construction on its brand-new North-End Public Safety Complex. The county held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 21, where county commissioners, local officials, partner representatives and community members were in attendance, including honorary guest Michael Bennet, United States Senator for Colorado.
The soon-to-be constructed 16,000-square-foot pre-engineered building will be home to the County’s emergency management and response operations. Located just south of Buena Vista, the $10 million dollar facility will include an Emergency Medical Services station to support EMS medics and vehicles with three ambulance bays, one with an enclosed fitness facility, and on-site live and work quarters for their 48-hour shifts.
Additionally, it will provide a separate area with dedicated space for the Sheriff’s annex offices and vehicle needs as well as a large, flexible meeting and training space that can accommodate up to 100 individuals. This area will be multi-functional and can be used for many different community needs, including as an auxiliary Emergency Operations Center with the Chaffee Office of Emergency Management or for Board of County Commissioners meetings and public convenings.
“We are looking forward to beginning construction on this long-awaited milestone project and express our gratitude for the incredible community support that has allowed this project to finally become a reality,” shared County Commissioner Keith Bakers. “We believe this new facility will substantially enhance our County’s ability to serve our 20,000-plus residents and hundreds of thousands of annual visitors for decades to come.”
Wold Architects and Engineers, a local architectural and engineering firm with extensive government design expertise, serves as the project’s architect and is working alongside project partners Diesslin Structures, Inc., Crabtree Group Inc. Civil Engineers, Mountain Aspect Landscape Architecture LLC, and JVA Consulting Structural Engineers.
With deep expertise in designing public safety and EMS facilities, the Wold team worked with the county to regularly involve decision makers, provide guidance for energy-efficiency and building systems redundancy, and help manage costs and budget. Planning also included coordination with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs due to grant funds being used to support the project’s cost.
“As a local firm, we are honored to work with Chaffee County to design a flexible, secure space that will allow first responders to provide seamless emergency services and better support the community and its residents,” said Roger Schroepfer, partner at Wold Architects and Engineers. “Our team aims to make a difference in the communities we serve, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the county to ensure their EMS teams can safely and comfortably carry out their duties.”
Construction is expected to take approximately 12 months to complete, with an anticipated completion date of May 2024.