The City of St. Paul and the Saint Paul Police Department hired the Saint Paul Port Authority to be the project lead for the Public Safety Training Facility, currently being built at 600 Lafayette Road (target completion date is Fall 2017).
This $18 million project is being funded by a $3 million donation from John Nasseff and his wife Helene Houle. The remaining $15 million will come from the city bonding.
The City of St. Paul will own the building upon completion. The innovative new facility will bring all Saint Paul police officer training under one roof to include classroom space, virtual training opportunities, a 12-person gun range and hands-on space to allow for training “at the speed of life.”
The facility will be named after the late John Rowan, who was with the police department for 32 years, serving as chief of police from 1970 to 1980.