Construction of new Queen Creek police HQ starts in June

Groundbreaking for the new $96 million Queen Creek Police Department headquarters is slated for June 1.

The groundbreaking date was set after the Queen Creek Town Council on May 20 approved a resolution allowing the town manager and director of the capital improvement projects department to authorize agreements to start work on the police headquarters and associated parking in the amount of more than $11.3 million.

“That is not the full project budget … but this is really the first step to get the building going,” Dave Lipinski, director of the capital improvement projects department, told the council. “One of the big first things you’ll see is they will secure the site. Crewse Lane will be closed all the way up to the municipal services building.”

The $11.3 million is part of the more than $17.1 million budgeted for the headquarters in the current fiscal year. The balance, almost $78.9 million, is part of the 2026-27 fiscal year budget approved by the council at the same meeting.

The new fiscal year starts on July 1.

Design of the headquarters, located near Summers Place and Ellsworth Road between Fire Station No. 1 and the Community Chambers, is at 90% and construction is expected to be completed by July 2028.

The new headquarters will replace the growing department’s current operations at the Law Enforcement and Community Chambers building.

The new headquarters will bring all police operations under the same roof, provide enough room for future employees and eliminate the need for separate substations or satellite facilities.

The resolution will allow for full-site demolition and the relocation of Crewse Lane to the south to provide space for the actual site construction, according to a staff report.

Under the resolution, staff will be able to get early procurement of long-lead materials and equipment including electrical gear, standby generators, air-cooled chillers and large prefabricated structural members, the report stated.

The town will also be able to start onboarding trade partners for mechanical, electrical and structural prefabrication, the report continued.

“This also allows us to sign contracts with Southwest Gas and SRP for new service designs and also some private utilities for some fiber relocation as we start moving forward,” Lipinski said.

The new headquarters will be paid through bond proceeds, the town’s pay-as-you-go reserve, police impact fees and the dedicated construction sales tax.

A groundbreaking ceremony is set for 9 a.m., June 1 near Summers Place and Ellsworth Road at the municipal complex.

Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org. Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.