From the cover
$25M expansion set for emergency training hub
BY BROOKE SJOBERG
The big picture
Public safety training center
Existing facilities Facility upgrades
Since the completed construction of the Public Safety Training Center in 2018, the Round Rock Police Department and Round Rock Fire Department have each grown by over 50 personnel to serve a city of over 140,000. However, the center has remained the same size. “It truly is a ght to sometimes nd free space because the classrooms are full,” Fire Department Chief Shane Glaiser said. Mayor Craig Morgan said the facility will ensure a high level of training and avoid the re and police departments having to compete for space. “You’ve got to be prepared for every potential crisis that may happen,” Morgan said. “I think that this helps them to be able to continue to do that.” The expansion will add 4,700 square feet of classroom space, increasing the number of classrooms from three to ve and bringing the total capacity to about 200 people. Classroom space is particularly necessary, Glaiser said, as new and existing o cers and re ghters train new skills and brush up on previous training throughout their time with the city.
The PSTC includes a multistory re training structure.
COURTESY CITY OF ROUND ROCK
Classroom facility
Driving track
Generator
Skills pad to practice accident extrication
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SOURCE: CITY OF ROUND ROCK COMMUNITY IMPACT
How we got here
Stay tuned
When the city rst built the PSTC in 2018, budgetary constraints led to a reduced scope, with smaller classrooms and fewer training spaces. The city has long eyed the build-out of the existing training center, and this second phase will ll out remaining space available at the site on Mays Street. The addition of another skills pad—a concrete slab where rst responders can practice extricating people from car accidents—and a high-speed driving track will allow Round Rock to do the vast majority of public safety training within the city, Police Chief Allen Banks said. “From the very beginning, our goal has been to create a centralized, state-of-the-art facility where both police and re personnel can receive consis- tent, high-quality training without having to leave Round Rock,” Banks said. “Having these resources in one place saves time, reduces costs and allows our rst responders to train more frequently and e ciently.” In addition to providing a local option for Round Rock rst responders, the PSTC has hosted many local, state and federal agencies. “A lot of entities come and go to training here,”
City crews are set to begin construction on the expansion to the PSTC in December, with completion expected in early 2027, according to city sta . While the expansion will build out the remaining space on the land already occupied by the PSTC, city o cials have not ruled out future expansions to include additional facilities in the city as needs change. Glaiser suggested the city could make further expansions to the facility by going vertical and adding another oor, while Morgan said the city could explore another facility entirely if that became something needed.
The PSTC expansion brings the facility closer to the city’s original vision for the facility, city o cials said. Project information
2 acres of concrete poured
2 more classrooms
Capacity to train 200 rst responders
$25 million in 2023 bond funds
“I’m not going to say this expansion will cover us at our full capacity, but it will cover us for a number of years.” CRAIG MORGAN, ROUND ROCK MAYOR
Morgan said. “Our teams are the ones that are doing the training. We’re being looked at as a department to help surrounding communities.” Glaiser said other departments and public safety entities that come to the training center are not frequently billed for its use but are expected to bring their own combustible materials and other needed items for training.
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ROUND ROCK EDITION
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