FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The City of Atlanta isn’t the only government entity in the process of building a new public safety training center. Fulton County is building its own police training site, which is expected to open next year. County officials said the move comes after they've experienced multiple structural issues with its current training facility.
“A roof that doesn’t leak. Conditioned air, would be great both within the summertime and the winter time,” said Fulton County Police Chief Wade Yates.
Yates said his wish list of amenities for the training facility is pretty simple. Yet the current training location at Wolf Creek Shooting Range, which was built for the 96 Olympics, is lacking those basic necessities.
“That building wasn’t designed to last 40 or 50 years and it’s showing its age. We have a lot of roof leaks, the air condition system needs a complete overhaul. But I think most importantly, that building is now in the City of South Fulton and they want that facility," he said. "So, the county either already has or is in the process of transferring that the city. So we have to leave."
And because the property is changing hands, Fulton County officials said they cannot be without a training location. They began to process to build a new one years ago.
“We’ve been working on this before COVID,” said Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts. “And, the reason we were working on this is because our facility was outdated and we provide training services not only to our public safety people, but the others as well, including surrounding counties, but also MARTA, Georgia State and Federal agencies use our facility. And the important point here is, it’s free of charge."
He said there was a point where they considered scrapping their training facility plan and instead join the City of Atlanta at its future public safety training facility, that many opponents have dubbed "Cop City" but the county decided against the partnership.
“We were approached by Wilkerson and his police foundation. He gave us a number which if I recall correctly was approximately $4 million and some change. We did the math work and it simply didn’t work,” said Pitts.
Instead, Pitts said they purchased and are renovating several building in the Fulton Industrial area and will consolidate several county services, including a new animal shelter at the location.
And, as for controversy around the Atlanta Public Safety Training Facility, Pitts said they don't have "a dog in that fight."
"We just continue what we’ve been doing," he said. "It’s an ongoing effort on our part not only to beautify that area, but to consolidate some of the services that we provide,” said Pitts.
The new Fulton County training facility is expected to completed by mid-2024. The price tag, according to county officials, is $15 million -- mostly financed through an existing $60 million county bond.