Oak Harbor to open new public safety training facility May 15

Oak Harbor is about to open a public safety facility that city leaders say will give taxpayers something concrete in return: a place where police and regional responders can train in town instead of heading elsewhere for each scenario. The city has scheduled a ribbon-cutting and open house for May 15 at 951 NE 21st Ct., Suite 1, with the event running from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and the ribbon cutting set for 4 p.m.

The building is 13,000 square feet and includes an indoor shooting range, classroom space, offices, a virtual reality training area, an armory, a gun-storage vault and locker rooms. City officials say that mix of rooms and equipment is meant to help officers practice realistic situations, sharpen critical response and keep more training local for Oak Harbor and other agencies across Northern Puget Sound. The city also says the site is intended to support the Skagit County Interlocal Drug Enforcement Unit Task Force.

Oak Harbor’s push to secure the property began last year, when the city said it wanted $1 million in state funding to buy a vacant building then listed for $2.99 million. City Council later approved the purchase of Units 1 and 3 at the Goldie Street Business Park on Oct. 21. Later city materials put the purchase price at $2.75 million.

The financing mix is at the center of the city’s pitch that the deal was fiscally responsible. Oak Harbor says the acquisition was covered through state grant funding, opioid settlement dollars, a public safety accreditation grant, 2025 police payroll savings, and reserve and unencumbered fund balance allocations. City officials say no new taxes or bonds were used.

Washington State Attorney General’s Office materials say opioid settlement funds may be used for programs that combat the opioid epidemic, including support for first responders, treatment clinics and overdose reversal kits. That backdrop helps explain why settlement dollars became part of the package for a facility the city says will improve preparedness for public safety work.

Mayor Ronnie Wright has framed the project as a commitment to public safety, financial stewardship and community partnership. Police Chief Tony Slowik has said the facility will help officers and regional partners practice realistic scenarios and improve critical response. The city also argues the new center could bring training visitors into Oak Harbor, adding a modest economic spillover for local restaurants, shops and hotels. It arrives alongside other equipment investments by the Oak Harbor Police Department, including a $160,000 armored vehicle reported in 2024, underscoring how the city is choosing to spend on readiness as much as on visible infrastructure.