Construction begins on new Aurora police station

Crews turned over their first shovelful of dirt Tuesday morning to begin construction of a new 158,000-square-foot police headquarters on Aurora's north side.

Construction of the adjoining 200,000-square-foot parking facility and 40,000-square-foot training and support building began late last year. The entire $75 million, three-facility campus remains on schedule to open in early 2010.

The support building will feature a large firing range and state-of-the-art evidence lab.

Project and construction managers updated members of the Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce on the status of the project during the group's Monday evening development and public works meeting.

"We've got a great team working on every aspect and we're making progress every day," said Leigh McMillen, project manager for Leopardo Construction. "We'll put a shovel in the ground to begin digging the foundation for the (main headquarters building) and we'll go up from there."

The department's new home, at 1200 E. Indian Trail Road, will be a far cry from its current one. Officers have outgrown their 42,000-square-foot digs, built in the 1960s at 350 N. River St.

Project officials believe the new facility is capable of lasting 30 to 50 years.

The existing station has had its share of maintenance problems and is basically unfixable, city leaders say. The building eventually will be demolished, with the site to become part of Aurora's new River Edge Park.