City leaders officially opened the doors to the new West Police Precinct Wednesday morning on Charlotte Pike near White Bridge Road.
Mayor Karl Dean, police Chief Steve Anderson and recently appointed West Precinct Commander Marlene Pardue cut the ribbon on the new facility before leading officials and neighbors on a tour of the building, which is four times bigger than the old West Precinct, located farther out on Charlotte Pike by the Nashville West Shopping Center.
Dean, who included $5 million for construction of the precinct in the fiscal year 2010 capital budget, highlighted the new precinct’s LEED Silver certification that includes a pervious parking lot to reduce the amount of storm water runoff into the sewer system, a white roof to reduce heat absorption and other energy-efficient features.
The new location also includes a 2,300-square-foot community room, something the old precinct did without.
The mayor also pointed out that the office space at the building (the old home of the Bob Frensley Ford dealership) had been raised at least two feet, a response to the community’s concerns of locating the precinct at its new 5500 Charlotte Pike address after Richland Creek poured over its banks and thoroughly enveloped the property during last year’s May flood.
Overall, Metro spent an additional $2 million on flood mitigation on the facility, including construction of stonewalls in the front meant to divert floodwaters.
Anderson called the old West Precinct — which Dean’s office said was the city’s oldest and smallest of the six precincts — “cramped and woefully outdated.”
Two new precincts are currently in the works for Madison and Midtown Hills (12th Avenue at Wade Avenue, near Wedgewood Avenue). The new Madison Precinct is set to open next month, while the Midtown Hills precinct is slated for an early 2013 opening.