City of Thornton Fossil Ridge Public Safety Facility

Serving a growing community with an integrated public safety facility built for protection, preparedness, and partnership.

Developed to support the rapid growth of the City of Thornton, the Torosaurus Public Safety Facility brings police and fire services together under one roof while providing each department with the specialized spaces required to serve the community effectively. Delivered through a design-build partnership between Saunders Construction and Roth Sheppard Architects, the project was created to meet the needs of one of Colorado’s fastest-growing cities while maintaining strict budget and schedule requirements.

The facility received its unique name following an extraordinary discovery during construction. Just one month after groundbreaking, crews uncovered what was later identified as the first recorded Torosaurus find in the State of Colorado, as well as the most complete and best-preserved specimen discovered in the state. While the find attracted significant public and media attention, the project team remained focused on maintaining the construction schedule to ensure the facility would be ready to support the city’s expanding public safety operations.

The single-story building houses both a police substation and a full-service fire station. While designed as a shared facility, each department occupies dedicated spaces tailored to its operational requirements. The police portion includes secure holding areas, detective workstations, field training facilities, interview rooms, and administrative offices designed to support modern law enforcement functions.

The fire station component includes living and support spaces necessary for around-the-clock operations, including a kitchen, day room, sleeping quarters, showers, tool storage, and a specialized decontamination room equipped to properly clean firefighting gear following emergency responses.

Shared amenities were incorporated to encourage collaboration and maximize efficiency, including fitness facilities, locker rooms, and a community room that supports both departmental and public functions.

The result is a highly functional public safety facility that strengthens emergency response capabilities, supports the needs of both police and fire personnel, and reflects Thornton’s commitment to serving its growing population for years to come.

This project received the 2019 Merit Award for Government/Public Building from Engineering News-Record (ENR) Mountain States