Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ office gave an update on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center this week, noting the project remains on schedule for a December opening but with approximately $19 million in cost increases. At least a third of those increased costs are directly related to the violent or destructive opposition to the center, with some $6 million in increased security costs and more than $400,000 for expanded contingency and insurance costs due to property destruction.
“We are moving forward as planned and not allowing distractions to deter us from improving the safety of Atlantans by completing the public safety training center” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “We have intentionally worked to incorporate the voice of the people, garnering strong support from the majority of our citizens who actively contributed valuable recommendations and feedback to this effort. The public persistently asks us to keep them safe from fire, violence and medical emergencies and we deployed strategies that contributed to Atlanta achieving one of the highest reductions in violence among major cities in America.”
Significantly, the cost overruns will not be paid for by the city but from private fundraising through the Atlanta Police Foundation. The city’s costs are capped at $31 million as approved by the City Council.
“We’ve been working very hard for the last year to ensure that anarchists at work do not succeed right here in Atlanta or in the state of Georgia. I want to thank the FBI, the ATF and the GBI for being present and for being very active on behalf of the City of Atlanta,” said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.
“There is an effort underway by a very small group of individuals, anarchists, that want to impact the safety of Atlanta. The Public Safety Training Center is key to making sure time and time again that the Police and Fire Department can rise to the expectations of this city, regardless of the temperature or what the emergency is, we are there for the citizens of Atlanta. The training center is vital to ensure that we have the right number of police officers and fire department personnel and that they are trained to go wherever the emergency is.”
Schierbaum noted that a piece of construction equipment from one of the contractors was set on fire just this week. The latest incident was just a few days after the side of Atlanta landmark restaurant Manuel’s Taven was defaced. Since the announcement of the training center, there have been more than 80 criminal acts and 170 arrests. Those criminal acts include 23 acts of arson – resulting in the destruction of 81 pieces of equipment from Atlanta Police Department motorcycles to the firebombing of an At-Promise Center, part of a youth crime diversion program.
