The City of New Braunfels has officially broken ground on a new $36.3 million Police Department Headquarters and Veterans Memorial.
At a ceremony held on Thursday, January 14th, 2021, members of the New Braunfels City Council and other city officials held a small, socially-distant ceremony at the site of the new building located in the 3000 block of West San Antonio Street, across from the Comal County Sheriff’s Office.
The new Police Headquarters is approximately 65,000-sq. ft. and will replace the department’s current 30,000-sq. ft. facility on South Seguin Avenue, which was formerly a lumber yard and was converted into the police department building in 1997. The new facility, which was designed by PGAL, Inc., will include office space for all police divisions including patrol, criminal investigations, administration, and support services, as well as public gathering and meeting spaces, and a training room. The facility will also include a 14,000-sq. ft. annex which will house vehicle maintenance bays, evidence storage, locker rooms, and a gym.
The 12-acre site will be the home of the New Braunfels Veterans Memorial, an etched granite structure honoring the branches of the U.S. military as well as the names of local service members who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country. Although the layout and design of the memorial is complete, the final selection of etched images is currently under consideration by the Veterans Memorial Committee consisting of local veterans, gold star family members, and representatives from the New Braunfels American Legion and VFW posts.
Funding for the Police Department Headquarters and Veterans Memorial was overwhelmingly approved by voters in the 2019 bond election. Joeris General Contractors is the contractor selected for this project and they will be teaming with Seidel Construction in a mentor-protégé partnership. Construction is expected to take about a year and a half, pending weather and other factors. To learn more about the 2019 bond projects, including the Police Headquarters and Veterans Memorial, please visit the 2019 Bond Projects page on the city’s website.