Maricopa County Community College District has partnered with the City of Buckeye to provide approximately 77 acres for new public safety facilities. The land, owned by MCCCD, is located at the northeast corner of Southern Avenue and Turner Road.
"The partnership will generate substantial cost savings by eliminating the need to purchase land," reads a press release from the city.
The joint-site with MCCCD will include Buckeye's new $97 million Public Safety Headquarters and $30 million for public safety training support facilities. The cost for the support facilities is approximate at this time, said Deputy Director of Communications John O'Halloran, as training needs are still being assessed. Some training and classroom spaces will be shared with MCCCD. Design, construction and the cost for supporting public infrastructure will also be shared between the city and college.
On Nov. 5, Buckeye residents will be asked whether or not to pass a General Obligation Bond, the city's first in 40 years, which would further support construction of the facilities under Proposition 494. The bond dollars were previously allocated to include land costs, said O'Halloran. However, now that the land has been acquired through partnership, those potential bond dollars would go to expediting the construction process.
"[The MCCCD partnership] offsets the cost of land acquisition for these public safety facilities, so if the bond passes, we’ll be able to start planning and designing the facilities more quickly while saving taxpayer dollars," said O'Halloran in an email. "If the bond doesn’t pass, it would delay these projects moving forward until the city could come up with the funding, however, the agreement with MCCCD would still stand."
Should voters say yes to Proposition 494, a total of $137 million in public safety funds would also go toward the construction of the Westpark Fire Station and Victory Fire Station. Proposition 495 includes $145 million for road improvements, as well.
Read more about the GO Bond here.
