By Jennifer J. Johnson | [email protected]

Councilman Don Shelton shoveled dirt using only one arm; the other was in a sling.

His colleague on the South Jordan City Council, Jason McGuire, had one of his children join him in digging.

Both councilmen and other city officials and residents were on hand July 15, as South Jordan dedicated a 30,000-square-foot public safety center—known as “Station 64”—in Daybreak. 

The new facility, proximate to the Mountain View Corridor, will be situated at 5443 West Lake Ave. in South Jordan. It will include emergency services such as fire and police personnel/equipment and also administrative services for residents to manage tasks ranging from paying utility bills to securing business or pet licenses.

The safety-assurance duo—co-located fire and police services in one facility

“Public safety, in my opinion, is the greatest responsibility we have to keep our residents safe,” SoJo Mayor Dawn Ramsey.

Although the city’s eight-point strategic priorities show an iconic police officer’s cap as the image to represent safety, the city’s committing to this co-located fire and police facility underscores the more comprehensive concept of safety.

“Our desire is to provide the best in emergency services to our community, and this new station will help us achieve that goal,” said South Jordan Fire Chief Chris Dawson.

“This substation will allow for increased presence from officers as well as reduced response times, helping us to maintain that level of safety and service for our residents and to partner with them to develop solutions to any persistent neighborhood problems,” South Jordan Police Chief Jeff Carr said.

Tending to the needs of the fast-growing west side

The location of the new facility is what city officials deems to be a forward-looking, proactive project serving what is deemed to be a fast-growing west side of an already fast-growing city.

South Jordan City is the 12th fastest-growing city in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Annually, the city gains another 5,000 residents, many of whom will look to relocate to the city’s west side.

SoJo City Councilwoman Tamara Packer Zander indicates the council “took some heat from the public” in electing to build the station in seemingly “nowhere”—the city’s currently under-built west side. 

“In years to come,” she said, the public will understand that the location was not “something that we just stumbled upon,” she added, saying she is “very proud of the council for stepping up and making that decision—something like a police/fire combo building doesn’t just happen. That great building that is going to keep the city safe.”

“This facility will allow us to better serve our residents living on the west side of the city now and into the future,” said City Manager Gary Whatcott.

At her “State of the City” vision speech earlier this year, Ramsey praised the facility’s being in keeping with Daybreak’s walkable nature and that administrative services will allow residents to manage tasks such as question a utility bill or secure a pet license “without having to travel to the east side of the city,” thus reducing traffic and air congestion.

Completion of “Station 64” is anticipated for late 2020. The campus is slated to include a fire station, a police substation, and both community and administration space.