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Fairview commissioners agree to search for alternative police training sites; set 30-day workshop timeline
Summary
Commissioners directed staff to seek alternatives to the proposed training site at Bowie Nature Park’s out parcel, request documentation of options and set a one-month timeline for a public workshop; board members stressed officers need training while opposing sides seek a definitive process.
The Fairview Board of Commissioners on Feb. 6 agreed to pursue a structured look at alternatives to the proposed police training facility location on the out parcel of Bowie Nature Park and to return to the board within roughly 30 days with vetted options.
Commissioner Katy Roberts asked the board to “fully explore” alternatives after a town hall where neighbors aired concerns about the training facility’s proximity to parkland. Commissioners and staff discussed options that include selling or repurposing other city-owned parcels, seeking county partnership and evaluating privately owned sites.
City Manager Doherty said engineering, soil testing and environmental work have already been performed for the current site and that the city has incurred about $182,000 in professional costs related to the project. Doherty said $500,000 has been in the range line item for several years and the project budget has been discussed up to $750,000; staff cited an overall project estimate between $750,000 and $1.2 million.
Commissioners said they do not expect to find a location that satisfies every neighborhood and urged a clear, time-bounded process. Vice Mayor McDonald proposed, and the board accepted, a plan to convene a workshop within 30 days (the first board meeting in March) for commissioners to present any candidate properties they and staff have identified and to set a firm next step. Commissioners requested that staff document who they contacted and provide contact information and written reports summarizing pros and cons for each option.
City staff reported that of the 20 city-owned parcels larger than half an acre, eight are within Bowie Nature Park and are covered by conservation easements; planning staff said the out parcel is the only city-owned parcel large enough to accommodate the range as currently designed. Several commissioners said they would pursue conversations with Williamson County and the sheriff about potential partnerships. The board did not take formal action to stop work on the current site at this meeting; the city manager asked for direction if the board wanted staff to pause further spending while alternatives are vetted.
