News post

Construction is well underway on Elm Ridge WCID's new Elm Ridge WCID Police Department and Government Center. Since the November 9, 2023 groundbreaking ceremony, crews have been busy preparing the site for the new building.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the district start planning this facility?  In 2018, the Denton County Fresh Water Supply District #10 board of directors adopted its first Five-Year Strategic Plan.  In that plan, the district’s objectives were to first acquire existing buildings located at 724 and 728 Savannah Blvd. to house the Police Department during its infancy stages and start up period.  In 2021, the Denton County Fresh Water Supply District #10 board of directors adopted an updated Five-Year Strategic Plan that included the objectives of acquiring land for the future building site of a police department and government center.  In 2022, the Elm Ridge WCID began soliciting bids from architect firms to assist with a needs study and building design that would meet the needs that were identified.

What is the size of our current police department?

The Elm Ridge Police Department is currently authorized 25 sworn officers and 2 civilian employees.  They currently operate in a two-story, residential house that is only 2,844 square feet in size.  One metric utilized in the design industry to best gauge proper sizing of a facility is one to two square feet per resident.  Elm Ridge currently serves an estimated 18,000 residents and using the metric described above, the current facility (residential house) is about 15,156 square feet too small, and that is using the lowest number in the metric (1 square foot per resident).

What is the square footage of the new facility?

The square footage of the new facility is 19,896 square feet.

• 10,863 square feet (55% of the building) is for the police department.
• 3,517 square feet is for the administrative staff (General Manager, Directors, Finance, Customer Service, Engineer, Water Operator, and Maintenance Staff).
• 5,516 square feet is shared space, which includes a multi-purpose room (for board meetings, police training, training classes for our residents, an Emergency Operations Center, a storm shelter, etc.), a break room, a fitness room, public restrooms, a janitor’s closet, a public stairwell, conference room, and a main lobby.
• If you combine the 10,863 square feet dedicated to the police department with the 5,516 square feet of shared/ community space, that equals 16,379 square feet.  If we were to use the one resident per square foot metric described in the previous question, you will quickly see the new facility is well below the 2 square feet per resident metric and even below the one square foot per resident metric at .91 square feet per resident.

What is the budget for this facility?

The approved budget and guaranteed maximum price (GMP) that was established by Crossland Construction (our construction manager at risk or CMAR) is $10,425,667 and that price includes over $350,000 in contingency fees.

Is this project over budget?

Despite the rumors on social media and other outlets, the project is currently on budget.  Despite the District’s best efforts to educate residents, there continues to be chatter and false information being spread around on social media about this project and specifically about it being over-budget.  The architect selected to perform the needs study and design (RPGA), first proposed an estimate of $11,151,885 in September of 2022. After reducing the square footage and working with RPGA and Crossland for many months to find cost saving alternatives, the BOD approved the Guaranteed Maximum Price of $10,425,667.00 in September of 2023. This is a decrease of $726,218.00.

Will this project increase the ad valorem tax rate?

This project is being funded out of both capital improvement funds and through the sale of bonds.  This project has not and will not cause Elm Ridge WCID to increase the ad valorem tax rate.  In fact, The Elm Ridge Board of Directors voted recently to lower that tax rate from $0.928 on each $100 of assessed valuation to $0.887 on each $100 of assessed valuation.

When will the facility be completed?

It is anticipated that the facility will be completed by the 3rd quarter of 2025.  The Elm Ridge WCID board of directors, police department and staff are grateful for the support they have received thus far, and they are looking forward to opening the doors to the communities they serve and celebrating with an open house and tours when the completion date finally arrives!

Check back regularly for updates!