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Breaking ground for a new Public Safety Training Academy (PSTA), County Executive Ike Leggett (center) joined County Councilmembers, first responders and community members. The current PSTA is more than 40 years old. The new facility is estimated to open in the fall of 2016. Pictured left to right are: Community representative from Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village neighborhood; Terry O'Grady representing the Montgomery Village Foundation; County Councilmember Sidney Katz; Retired Fire/Rescue Assistant Chief Michael Clemens; Acting Fire Chief Scott Goldstein; Legget;, Police Chief Tom Manger; County Councilmembers Marc Elrich and Tom Hucker; and Department of General Services Director David Dise. |
The County’s new
Public Safety Training Academy (PSTA) took one step closer to reality when officials broke ground for the new facility to be located at 8751 Snouffer School Road in Gaithersburg, where it will be part of the Montgomery County Multi Agency Service Park (MASP).
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| PSTA Building Entrance |
The current PSTA, at 9710 Great Seneca Highway, was completed in 1973. It houses the specialized training programs for all new law enforcement officers hired by: the County Police Department and Sheriff’s Office; the Office of the Fire Marshal of the Department of Fire and Rescue Service; the Police departments from the cities of Rockville, Gaithersburg and Takoma Park; the Chevy Chase Village Police Department; and the Maryland-National Capital Park Police - Montgomery County. The PSTA also houses functional training programs for all career and volunteer fire and emergency personnel who serve the County Fire and Rescue Service.
This facility is another of Leggett’s
Smart Growth Initiative (SGI) projects that is revitalizing a former industrial area into an urban village near the Shady Grove Metro station. The Executive’s SGI provides substantial economic opportunities for further growth while implementing the goals of the Shady Grove Sector Plan.
The new (est. $69 million) PSTA will consist of: an Academic Building, a Fire Residential Training Building, a Fire Commercial Training Building, a High Bay and Fire Training Support Building, an Apparatus Building, a Canine Training Building, a Multi-use Cityscape Structure Training area, a Department of Transportation Vehicle Training Support Building and a Fuel Facility.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2016.
Read more in the
news release.
