CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Clarksville leaders broke ground Friday on a new District 3 Police Precinct to provide an expanded modern space to serve the public and improve the effectiveness of officers and detectives.
The new precinct will be built on a 1.5 acre site on International Boulevard just east of Interstate 24/Exit 8 next to Clarksville Fire Rescue Station 12. The building will have 11,958 square feet of space on one level, and include a large lobby, offices for district command staff and detectives, a training/community meeting room, a sally port and a fitness gym for officers.
“We always tell our officers that if you want good things -- good equipment and vehicles and good facilities -- you have to earn them. It all depends on police behavior and doing an outstanding job,” incoming Police Chief David Crockarell said. “This represents the support for our department that starts with the Mayor and City Council and comes full circle with our citizens, who complete the partnership. We know we are supported, and we appreciate it.”
District 3 covers a large area of the City from Exit 8 to Exit 1 and includes St. Bethlehem and the commercial district around Exit 4. The new precinct will replace a small former fire station on Holiday Drive near Governors Square Mall that District 3 officers have worked from for more than a decade.
“The women and men of the Clarksville Police Department need this new building and deserve a great place to work,” Mayor Joe Pitts said. “They are succeeding because they are seeking the trust and understanding of our community, and this facility will only help with that mission.
Like the District 1 Police Precinct on Cunningham Lane in North Clarksville, which opened in 2015, the District 3 Precinct was designed by Rufus Johnson Associates and the general contractor will be Boger Construction.
The cost of the District 3 Precinct project is budgeted at $2,997,300. While no new capital projects are in the recently approved 2021 budget, the District 3 Precinct was fully funded in previous fiscal years. The land for the project, which is in the Corporate Business Park, was donated by the Montgomery County Industrial Board.
Construction will start soon and the project is expected to be completed in Spring 2021.
Handling the ceremonial groundbreaking for Clarksville’s District 3 Police Precinct were, from left, Capt. James Smith, City Councilman Jeff Henley, Mayor Joe Pitts, Chief David Crockarell, Daniel Binkley of Rufus Johnson Associates and J.R. Fredrick of Boger Construction.