“I couldn’t express to you how grateful we are.”

This is how Deputy Chief Penny Bowles of the Bowling Green Police Department summed up her feelings about the long awaited joint training facility for BGFD and BGPD, which is now open and occupied by both departments.

“(For) 20 years we have been dreaming of a new training facility, and it has come to fruition,” Bowles said. “To be excited, to be grateful, to be so appreciative, I can’t describe how all of that we are, to the millionth degree.”

The $16 million project is along Porter Pike and will replace the aging Northside Fire Station No. 5, which was built in 1987. It promises to give some breathing room to both departments, who have each seen their staffing swell in recent years to keep up with Bowling Green’s meteoric growth.

Personnel from both departments moved into the facility in June. Bowles said a police captain and an administrative assistant are on site now, and prospective officers in Class Nine are completing their basic training in the facility.

Bowles said in the past, those undergoing training would have to move from training room to training room if spaces at the police headquarters were taken, finding space as it was available.

“They were always like a moving target,” Bowles said. “Anytime that room downstairs was needed, we had to move and find the place.”

She compared it to having college classes that would move to different buildings. She said it comes to a point where someone asks themselves “OK, where am I going?” Now though, things have improved.

“In my opinion, as a trainer, I think it just provides that stability and continuity for the recruits to have a better learning environment,” she said.

The finishing touches are still being made on the facility. Bowles said there are some “punchlist” items that are being completed now, and a new area for backup dispatch will finish up in the fall.

A backup dispatch center is currently housed in the Greenwood Fire Station No. 6, across the road from Greenwood High School. Five people work in that space.

Once the new area is finished it will allow for more dispatchers to work and Bowles said the room will be storm rated, allowing for dispatch services to continue during a severe weather event. Other plans are in store as well.

“The four week (dispatch) academy is in Richmond, and we have had it on our radar, on our want list, to do our own academy here,” Bowles said, adding that some training for dispatchers goes on at the Greenwood center.

While joint training will be going on between city police and fire, Bowles said it is unlikely that other departments will train here, citing different training tactics used by departments and potential liability risks associated with giving basic training to personnel outside of BGPD.

She said continuing education courses are open to other departments though and will continue to be.

Katie McKee, public information officer for the fire department, told the Daily News that an average of four firefighters will be at the fire portion of the facility at any given time, and the station houses a fire truck and a boat for water rescues.

Demolition on the old Station No. 5 began Monday, and McKee said it is expected to take a few weeks and the footprint of the old building will become a parking lot. Once the lot is finished, the ribbon will be cut.

She said both police and fire personnel trained on the old building before demolition started.

“We were able to get in there and vent the roof and pull lines and flow water and do search rescue drills,” she said. “We were able to really get hands on for the few days leading up to the demolition.”

Speaking on improvements over the old building, McKee said the living area is larger and improvements were made to sleeping areas as well, namely bedroom doors replacing partitions.

“So far, everything’s been running smoothly and great,” she said. “They’ve been there about a month, so it’s a little early to completely tell all the changes, but they’ve got a lot more room.”