The City of Sachse operates and maintains its public buildings to serve the citizens of the community. Identification of the purpose, function and current use of each of these buildings is necessary to determine the adequacy of current spaces and determine the future needs of each department and facility to meet the expected levels of service. Currently, the City Hall and Fire Station are located on Highway 78, with the Library, Police Station and Senior Center located in the Municipal Complex on Sachse Road. Figure 5-1 Community Facilities Plan illustrates the existing and future community facilities for the City of Sachse. INVENTORY OF CITY FACILITIES City Hall The City Hall at 5560 Highway 78 is a good example of adaptive reuse. A former strip office complex now houses the administrative offices including the City Manager, City Secretary, Finance Department, Municipal Court, Tax Office, Fire Chief, Community Development Department (Planning and Code Enforcement), Economic Development Corporation as well as the multi-purpose City Council Chambers. Extensively remodeled in 1998, this 9,000 square foot building adequately serves the community in 2001. Uses in the building include the City Council Chamber with restroom, kitchen area and conference room in an area of approximately 2,800 square feet. The Administrative offices, including the City Manager, City Secretary, Finance Director, Administrative Assistant and reception area use 1,500 square feet. The Community Development Department uses 2,600 square feet of the City Hall complex for the offices of the director, fire chief, four building inspectors, one environmental inspector, one plan reviewer, an office assistant and part time clerk. The Finance Department, including Utility Billing, Municipal Court and Accounting use 1,700 square feet. The Economic Development Corporation offices use approximately 400 square feet. The old City Hall Annex is a 900 square foot building that was once used as the police station and municipal court. It is small and in poor condition. The old City Hall building was torn down. Library For a city the size of Sachse even the current Library on Sachse Road at the intersection of Miles and Bryan Roads is an outstanding achievement, but it has outgrown the space. The Library currently shares a 6,400 square foot facility with the Police Department. Construction plans are already underway for a new 10,000 square foot facility on adjacent city property. This City of Sachse, Texas 5-1
new building is a result of citizen input received at the first town meeting for this Comprehensive Plan update. Police Station The Police Station is also located at the intersection of Sachse, Bryan and Miles Roads. The 29 full-time and 4 reserve members of the police force currently share the 6,400 square foot building with the Library. The current 2,000 square foot area is inadequate for the number of staff and type of operations. When the construction of the new library is completed, the Police Department will be able to use all of the building for police functions. This space, when retrofitted, should be adequate for police needs for the foreseeable future. A substation, perhaps in conjunction with other city facilities on the northwest side of Highway 78 and in the proposed business park area in the southern part of the City, should be considered as the residences and businesses in those areas increase. Public Works Located at 6420 Sachse Road, the Public Works Department is housed in a 4,800 square foot building. The recently acquired adjacent property provides an additional 3,000 square foot building, a new pump station building (1,296 square feet) and a 7,500 square foot equipment storage shed. The Animal Control Department is currently located adjacent to the Public Works facility. Fire Station The Sachse Volunteer Fire Department provides outstanding fire protection for the City on a 24 hour a day basis. Currently, the main functions of the department are housed in the 6,000 square foot Fire Station 1 located at 6232 Highway 78. The Department is responsible for fire suppression, fire protection and emergency medical services. A full time Fire Chief oversees a department of two part time inspectors and 27 volunteer firemen, which includes 12 paramedics and 10 emergency medical technicians. An additional 7,500 square feet of facilities is desirable. A second fire station, preferably on the northwest side of Highway 78 and the railroad, should be considered as the area continues to grow. As with the Police Department, a station may be required in the future business park area around a proposed extension of the toll road. The Sachse Volunteer Fire Departments have earned an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class 5 fire insurance rating. The Department undergoes regular evaluations as to the quality of fire equipment and personnel, water availability and proper communications. This is a very good 5-2 Wilbur Smith Associates
rating for a city the size of Sachse and is an improvement from last year. The Department should continue to maintain and even improve the rating. Senior Center The newest community facility is the Senior Center located at 3815 Sachse Road. The 2,400 square foot center was built with grant assistance from the Dallas Area Agency on Aging. Services rovided by the center are exercise programs, assistance with grocery shopping and doctors appointments, benefits counseling, as well as monthly movies and excursions. Current staffing includes the director and assistant director. Parks and Recreation Facilities The parks and recreation facilities and needs are in the separate Sachse Parks and Recreation Master Plan, but it should be noted here that there was a great deal of interest in the park needs assessment survey in having a community center or recreation center at one of the parks or at the Municipal Complex. The Red Caboose The Sachse Chamber of Commerce is housed in the caboose, a visible landmark in the area. It serves as a reminder of Sachse s historical relationship with the railroad while providing offices for a worthwhile community organization. OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS Utilities Water service in the City of Sachse is provided by the North Texas Municipal Water District. Sewer service is provided, through an interlocal agreement, by the City of Garland. Garbage and recycling collection is provided by BFI. Electric power is provided by TXU Electric or by FEC Electric (southeastern part of the city.) TXU Gas provides natural gas service. Local land based telephone service is from GTE (Verizon). Most major cell phone providers provide coverage in the Sachse area. Cable TV service is provided by AT&T Cable Services. Schools The City of Sachse is served by two school districts, Garland Independent School District for the residents in Dallas County and Wylie Independent School District for residents of Collin County. Sewell Elementary School and Hudson Middle School on Hudson Drive at Miles Road are part of Garland ISD. The new Sachse High School on Miles Road is under construction and scheduled to open in the Fall 2002. A new elementary school is planned for property north of Bunker Hill Road, with additional future sites under consideration. Garland ISD s agricultural facility is City of Sachse, Texas 5-3
located on Pleasant Valley Road in the southernmost part of the city. At this time, Wylie ISD has no school facilities in the city, but are reviewing sites in the residential areas of Sachse in Collin County. Future sites are indicated in generalized terms on the Future Land Use Plan. Several of the local churches also provide elementary and middle school level facilities as well as after school and summer activities within the church complexes. FUTURE FACILITY NEEDS As the City continues to develop, there will be the need for additional city employees and additional office space and service areas. Space requirement standards for community facilities are generally developed within the City, however, several of the Sachse city departments have staff to population ratios that help to define their space needs. It should be noted that as the City increases, so will the need for additional staff and offices, however, these requirements are not directly proportional to the population. Although there is room for an additional city building on the property adjacent to City Hall for future expansion of office space, consideration should be given to the relocation of all or part of the current City Hall functions in a new City Hall Building at the Municipal Complex on Sachse Road. This central location with proximity to other city facilities may be the most desirable one, particularly if the present location with its frontage on Highway 78 is determined to be better for commercial usage. Additional space is desirable to provide the Finance Department with a customer service area for centralized payments for utility bills, court payments and permit fees. As the business development aspects of the city continue to be developed, the Economic Development Corporation will need additional space for two offices and a board/conference room. The City Secretary s office needs additional space for personnel and records storage. The Community Development Department will require additional office space of 1500 to 2400 square feet to accommodate a full time Planner and City Engineer. To adequately serve the residents and businesses on the northwest side of Highway 78 and the railroad track, a second Fire Station is needed. This could be a multi-use facility by adding office space for a police substation. Another fire station location should be considered in the proposed business park area. Relocating Fire Station 1 to the Municipal Complex on Sachse Road would provide a central fire station location within the Municipal Complex. The new Library should meet the needs for a number of years into the future. Additional staff will allow the library to provide more than the current basic services and allow longer hours of operation. 5-4 Wilbur Smith Associates
As the community grows, the pet population grows as well. A new animal control issue is the relocation of wildlife as the community becomes more urbanized. A new Animal Shelter will be needed as well as additional staff. This facility may be at the current location with the potential of adding additional facilities. GOAL AND OBJECTIVES Community Facilities Goal: Provide appropriate and desirable city facilities and services that are readily accessible to the citizens of Sachse in an economically cost effective manner. Objective A: Construct Fire Station 2 in the northwest area of the City. Begin search for appropriate location. Consider combining with other uses such as museum, police substation or other city facility. Consider funding mechanism. Objective B: Construct a new City Hall at the Municipal Complex. Conduct study of office and public space needs. Develop appropriate funding mechanism. Objective C: Construct a fire/public safety facility in the southern (business park) area. Begin search for appropriate location. Consider combining with other uses such as a park, police substation or other city facility. Determine appropriate funding mechanism. Objective D: Consider construction of a community center. Coordinated with other entities for possible regional center. Use Parks and Recreation Master Plan priority for community center as the basis to apply for matching grant funds. Objective E: Add appropriate animal control facilities. Determine appropriate location. The implementation of the Objectives identified above requires careful financial planning. It should be fully realized that the facilities cannot all be built at once and will require additional consideration. City of Sachse, Texas 5-5