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SALT LAKE CITY — The final steel beam was put into place at the new Salt Lake City Public Safety Building on Friday.
A "topping out" ceremony was held to celebrate the highest structural beam on the project being put into place, marking completion of the main structure.
"It allows us to go ahead and begin to enclose the building," said Project Manager Chad Jones. "It's a big milestone for us to get the structural system done."
It's a construction tradition that means, after years of planning, the building is almost a reality. And no one is more happy about that than Police Chief Chris Burbank, and Fire Chief Kurt Cook.
"This is remarkable for Salt Lake City and specifically for public safety, both police and fire, and we're very, very excited about the progress," said Salt Lake City Fire Department Chief Kurt Cook.
"For me personally, this represents over 10 years of my career that I've actually been working to get a new building for the police department," said Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank.
Construction began 13 months ago, and is now between 60 and 70 percent complete, and on-schedule to open next summer.
The building will replace the current police and fire facilities, which are long outdated, and the new state-of- the-art four-story structure has room for future growth.
"This sustainability component of the building and the green aspect of the building definitely provides a much more comfortable environment to work in which provides a better morale overall," Cook said.
The police and fire departments are already working together on certain aspects of their operations, so they will have a smooth transition when they move in.
