KANNAPOLIS — Deputy City Manager Eddie Smith gave an update to the city council at their Feb. 12 work session meeting about the Cabarrus County joint public safety training facility that will be located where the Stonewall Jackson Youth Development Center in Concord used to be. The project is a collaboration between Cabarrus County, Concord, and Kannapolis. 

The complex will have two separate phases for law enforcement and the fire department. The Kannapolis Police Department currently utilizes the outdoor Firearms Training Facility on Irish Potato Road, but Smith explained it is no longer the most adequate site for practicing. 

“It accomplishes what needs to be done, but it’s still very, very primitive by today’s standards,” Smith said. “We’re at that stage now with the county growing and the respected cities growing at such a rate as they are, we really need to improve these facilities.”

The first phase will be applied to law enforcement. The plan is to construct an in-door shooting range that could house “up to 20 lanes” and a tactical driving course. Smith said the in-door aspect of the facility will make scheduling sessions there much easier. It could take three to five years before the first phase is fully realized. 

It’s up in the air if Kannapolis will engage with the fire training safety facet of the facility. The second phase is “still a long ways away” and Smith said it might not be “necessary” for Kannapolis to be a part of it. The city has access to the Rowan Cabarrus Community public safety training facility, which is closer to Kannapolis, and will have more availability once the Cabarrus County space is operational.

There have been focus groups with “all the entities” to share their training schedules and storage requirements. Smith said Kannapolis does not need the facility for storage and will not pay for that portion of it. 

“It’s when we look at all the square footage and the services and uses on there, it’s when we start outlining based upon a formula, what are our costs?” Smith said.

It is the city’s intention to replace the fire training tower at Fire Station 1 once they get approval to proceed. Smith advised that Fire Chief Tracy Winecoff said the tower would be sufficient enough for their training demands. The funding impact will be $1.5 million with a one to three year timeframe to completion. 

Cabarrus County is going to own the property of the facility. However, “the thought process right now is that there will be a third party entity that will coordinate it and operate it, almost like an authority,” Smith said. 

The project’s total cost to the city is unknown according to Smith. Once final phasing has concluded, Kannapolis will obtain cost estimates.