Pecos chief outlines need for new police, animal control and Criminal Justice Center; staff identify two candidate sites

Police Chief Lisa Bedam told the Pecos City Council on Thursday that the city’s current police, animal control and Criminal Justice Center is functionally undersized and creating operational and liability risks, and she urged the council to move land acquisition forward.

“The department itself, we have people literally stacked on top of each other to do their daily operations,” the chief said, describing constrained space for patrol, administration and secure evidence operations. She said animal control also faces capacity and humane-housing limitations.

City staff identified two primary candidate properties: one adjacent to the city shop and a second near the Target Logistics area off Highway 285, each roughly 10–11 acres. City Manager Charles Lino and Assistant City Manager Nicole Ferminius described pros and cons for each site, including infrastructure readiness, ingress/egress, response times and potential land-acquisition paths such as a land swap or negotiation with property owners.

Ferminius told the council the project delivery approach under consideration is a construction-manager-at-risk contract to enable overlap of design and construction and secure a guaranteed maximum price. Staff warned the council that due diligence, feasibility and funding work remain: Ferminius estimated a facility in the $35 million to $50 million range and said a mix of grants, on-hand cash and bonds would likely be required.

Council members asked for more detail on timelines, acquisition status and funding sources; staff said they will continue due diligence and return with a refined plan and packet for council action.