Austin Utilities revealed a first look inside its Energy Park facility Tuesday morning.

The $17 to $18 million building is still under construction, but on schedule, General Manager Mark Nibaur said.

“We’re anxious to show it off to the community because it really is a community project to serve them long into the future,” Nibaur said. “We really appreciate the community support through this process.”

Departments will move piece by piece into the building starting in April and the process will continue through May and June. By July and August, the public portions of the facility should open, Nibaur said.

The 23-acre Energy Park property was purchased in 2009, and the design and details of a new facility surfaced in 2014 before a ceremonial groundbreaking last April.

The need for a new facility was a great one, according to Nibaur, as utilities studied the cost-effectiveness of building a new facility versus remodeling and upgrading its old facilities. Their decision was to build a new facility.

The 105,000-square-foot building offers a way to consolidate office operations, including customer service, staff operations and administrative duties, from the seven buildings utilities workers use.

“The biggest thing is we will all be in one location,” Nibaur said. “Bringing in all our staff to be more efficient to serve our customers will be very beneficial.”

The new building addresses several ongoing issues, according to Nibaur.

There will also be more room for trucks and equipment, according to Todd Jorgens, operations director for natural gas and water. And Austin Utilities doesn’t have enough space to store essential supplies like water and gas pipes indoors, according to Nibaur.

The new building will solve several safety and regulation issues for the utilities company, and it will be more energy efficient than the old site. Utilities officials estimate the company could save $2.5 million over the next 10 years with a new facility. The warehouse and garage will have in-floor heat generated by a geothermal field. They will also have lifts to work on the trucks on-site.

The new plans would also disaster-proof utilities operations, which Nibaur said was an important improvement.

Doors and windows near the administration section will have coiling metal shutters that can be rolled down in the event of a severe storm or tornado. The shutters are supposed to withstand an F-2 tornado. It will also protect the generator, in which case after a storm, the power can still be accessed and turned on.

In addition, there will be conference rooms for meetings and trainings, locker rooms for men and women, a water testing lab, records room and welding shop.

The fate of one former Austin Utilities site is still up in the air. Austin Utilities has been working with a Vision 2020 committee about a new community recreation center, but nothing has been decided yet.

“It’s really exciting. In my career I’ve never had the opportunity to see a new facility from design to construction and just seeing our staff looking forward to this and knowing we can operate and be much more efficient,” Nibaur said. “I hear it every day, ‘Oh it will be nice to get in the new building because we can do this or do that now.’ I think the enthusiasm is really high.”

Historical Timeline of Austin Utilities Facilities 1887-2016

1887 — City is granted authority to issue bonds to construct a municipal waterworks system on Water Street, now Fourth Avenue Northeast — present site of the AU Downtown Power Plant.

1888 — City council approves the erection of a small power plant (owned privately by S. H. and Winfield Scott Pierce, the Austin Electric Company) on former Water Street, and electric lights were turned on for the first time on March 15, 1889.

1899 — Austin Village Council, dissatisfied with the rates and services offered by the private company, decides to create a municipal electric utility and purchases the Downtown Power Plant building from the Austin Electric Company.

1922-1985 — Various additions are made to the downtown site and surrounding buildings to accommodate their growing needs.

1961 — The Austin Municipal Building located at 400 4th St. NE was constructed by Austin Utilities for the community of Austin and is still occupied by both Austin Utilities and City of Austin administrative staff.

1997 — Addition to the Austin Municipal Building is completed to accommodate growing needs.

2009 — Austin Utilities purchases 23 acres known as Energy Park, 1908 14th St. NE in Austin’s industrial park for gas and water construction staff, vehicles and equipment.

2014 — Downtown Power Plant decommissioning due to outdated and inefficient technology is completed.

2015 — Groundbreaking for the new Energy Park facility which will become the future facility for all Austin Utilities administration and operations. Expected move-in date is July 2016.