By: Erin McCarty
KEEL News
We have talked at length about relocating police officers from 1234 Texas Street so a new police headquarters can be built. The city of Shreveport is moving quickly to make that happen. But I have to wonder about another major city government relocation that is happening at a snail’s pace.
The city purchased a massive West Shreveport property for $9.5 million dollars more than 3 years ago and we are nowhere near moving everyone into this massive facility.
The complex is the former home for BJ Energy Services in the 6900 block of West 70th near Bert Kouns.
In November of 2022, Mayor Adrian Perkins signed the purchase agreement for this property. The money came from Water and Sewer bond funds. But there was some heated discussions at the time about how that money should have been used. Some leaders were concerned the funds were being drained from dollars aimed at addressing consent decree sewer improvement needs.
What Will the Facility Be Used for?
KEEL News was told at the time of the purchase this complex would be used to combine several city operations. Water and Sewer, Streets and Drainage and Public Workers were all supposed to move into this massive property. It is quite impressive. It even has a dirt or sand pit area which could be used for issuing sand bags during flooding conditions. Right now, the city has a public works operation on Kings Highway. Streets and Drainage operates on Mansfield Road and Water and Sewer is in a crumbling property on Greenwood Road. These 3 facilities need lots of repairs.
Why Hasn’t the Move to this New Facility Happened Yet?
KEEL News asked CAO Tom Dark about the status of the move and he tells us.
We have not fully moved into the 70th Street building. The contractor is finishing up the last of a renovation project on the main building. When they are done, Water and Sewer's Environmental Services and Customer Services divisions will be the first to move.
He does not yet know an exact date for the move, but says “I believe we are not far away.”
After the Water and Sewer team moves in, they will be followed by Field Operations, which will vacate the Greenwood Road location.
Dark also tells us Public Works' Administration, Solid Waste, Streets and Drainage and Traffic Engineering will also move out to West 70th, but that requires the construction of at least one additional building. $5 million was included in the City's 2024 bond issue for that purpose.
That is not something that was discussed or disclosed by the previous administration when we asked about this consolidation plan.
What Will Happen with the Current Properties?
Dark says:
We are exploring an exchange involving the Kings Highway and Mansfield Road buildings along with some adjacent adjudicated properties with the Biomedical Research Foundation, in hopes of allowing them to consolidate their footprint in the medical corridor and generate some additional cash for the Public Works building project.
What Does the New Property Include?
It has a massive concrete parking area which will be ideal for housing all the garbage trucks, public works and water and sewer vehicles. It also has a truck repair area, a fueling station, wash bays and much more. The office complex also has labs which can be used by the water department for regular testing. It also has several training rooms which can be used by several departments.
City leaders have been looking for options for a new complex and projected costs topped the $30 million dollar mark.