The City of Norcross, the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, and a group of active community members scheduled tours of the new public safety building in early September, before the Norcross Police Department and Municipal Court begin operations.
The public can get a look inside the state-of-the-art facility at 6025 Buford Highway (SR 13) at noon on Sept. 1; at 8:15 a.m. on Sept. 2; and at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 3.
Once the police department occupies its portion of the building, city officials have said tours of private areas will require more screening and a background check.
Touring police HQ
The police department is scheduled to begin operations inside the Norcross Public Safety Building on Sept. 8. While the city’s new Real Time Crime Center is still awaiting completion, the $27 million facility is ready for community tours.
The new 42,252-square-foot building is retrofitted for future expansion and city growth, including a 1,600-square-foot Real-Time Crime Center. The existing facility includes a community room, courtroom, fitness center, a flexible multipurpose indoor-outdoor gathering space, and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training studio for officer training.
The city’s official ribbon-cutting for the new building is at noon on Sept. 1, featuring a tour of the police department and municipal court on the site of the former Norcross Library at the corner of Stevens Road and Buford Highway.
“This new public safety building reflects our commitment to providing the people who serve and protect Norcross with the tools and resources they need while creating a welcoming place for the community,” Mayor Craig Newton said. “We look forward to celebrating this important milestone with our residents, businesses and project partners.”
The next morning, on Sept. 2, at 8:15 a.m., the community group Norcross PDC will host its weekly meeting at the new facility.
Organizer Chuck Paul said attendees may want to grab coffee from the regular meeting spot, 45 South Cafe, before heading to the tour.
Last chance: Thursday morning
The Southwest Gwinnett Chamber’s monthly Coffee Connections Spotlight has free registration for members and guests to tour the new headquarters at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 3. Norcross Police Chief Bill Grogan, who helped guide the project, is set to lead the Thursday morning tour.
“The project has been years in the making and marks a major step forward for the growing city, which has nearly doubled in size since 2011 with a population now exceeding 18,000,” the chamber announcement said.
Community members first got a look inside the new police headquarters at an Aug. 22 Cookout with Council.
Council member Josh Bare said City Manager Eric Johnson spent the afternoon grilling with staff and ensuring community members had a “terrific time together.”
“Thank you, council member Hixson, for setting up Cookout with Council,” Bare said. “This last one was incredibly successful this week, and it was all due to staff … A ton of people were helping.”
