City of Longview nears completion of the 2018 bond package
by Christina Cavazos
When Longview Mayor Kristen Ishihara reflects on 2018, she recalls a city facing several needs. First responders needed enhanced facilities to better serve the community. Parks and trails across Longview needed improvements to maintain and enhance the quality of life for the city’s residents. At the same time, several major roadways needed to be improved and widened, including the addition of bike lanes and sidewalks to some to support safer, more efficient transportation throughout the city.
Each of those needs represented a piece of Longview’s long-term, strategic vision for the community as outlined in the city’s comprehensive plan. So, city leaders in 2018 brought forward a $104.2 million bond package with proposals focused on those three core areas: public safety, parks, and streets. That November, Longview voters overwhelmingly approved the bond package, signaling community support for investing in the city’s future.
Now, in 2026, nearly all projects included in the 2018 bond election have been completed. The results are visible citywide, with
residents, visitors, and city employees
already experiencing the benefits of these long-term investments.
“I was very encouraged by the public’s support of the initial bond proposal because it represented an investment in the future of Longview,” said Ishihara, who served as the District 4 representative on the Longview City Council at the time of the 2018 bond election. “It’s very satisfying to see that we delivered on all of those projects and that we did so in a fiscally responsible way. None of this would have been possible without the public’s commitment to public safety improvements, quality of life improvements, and transportation/infrastructure improvements. These were deliberate decisions made by our community to invest in itself.”
Strengthening
Public Safety
Public safety improvements were a cornerstone of the 2018 bond program. The $52.4 million investment into public safety included building a new Longview Police Department facility and either renovating or rebuilding three of the city’s fire stations.
At Longview Police Department, the new $33.4 million facility has brought the department under one roof with more space to expand and given the department more technology that has allowed it to solve crimes more effectively, said LaDarian Brown,
public information officer for Longview
Police Department.
“The greatest impact it has had on the organization is that it has enabled us to all work under one single roof,” Brown said. “In years past, we’ve worked under multiple roofs and in multiple buildings, which made internal communication less efficient. Now, we can walk up the steps or walk down the hall to speak to each other.”
The former police department, which was located on Cotton Street, was constructed in 1977 when there were 82 police employees. By 2018, Longview Police Department employed 234 people. That meant almost triple the staff were expected to use the same 31,000-square-foot building, which was an impossibility. That led to the city renting 6,800 square feet of space in an adjacent building for the Criminal Investigations Division and leasing 2,100 square feet of space at Pine Tree ISD for a special investigations and apprehension unit.
The new building, Brown shared, has brought everyone under one roof with room to grow. The new multi-story facility, which is located on South Street, contains more than 68,000 square feet of space.
With that space and the move, it meant the ability to have more updated technology.
“Moving to the new building gave us the opportunity to have the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art technology,” Brown said. “That means we are able to solve crimes a little bit more effectively and in a quicker manner simply because we have additional technology now that we did not have in the previous building.”
The Municipal Court remained at the former police department location, but the rest of that building was renovated to house other city departments. In late 2025, other departments, including Grants and Human Services , which includes Partners in Prevention and Human Resources, moved into the renovated space. A new mural with a theme of celebrating city employees was painted on the exterior of the building. The mural was designed by Olivia Mendoza of Forbes & Butler and painted by muralist Jamie Robinson of Palette Mural Designs.
Alongside the new Longview Police Department, the bond funded upgrades and expansions for several fire stations.
Fire Station 5, originally built in 1985, received an extensive renovation and expansion. The project added more than 10,000 square feet of new space and updated existing areas. Originally built to accommodate eight personnel, the new facility can accommodate up to 12 employees. The new station now includes updated office space, new kitchen space, living space and bunk rooms, physical agility space, and a new training tower for on-site training. The fire station also now has a total of six bays whereas the facility previously had just three apparatus bays.
Previously located on McCann Road, Fire Station 8 moved to Bill Stoudt Parkway, formerly George Richey Road, and is now complete.
The previous, 3,700-square-foot location was built in 1982 and designed with two apparatus bays and a total capacity of four personnel members. A challenge at the former Fire Station 8 location was that it had just one pull-through bay, which meant that one fire truck had to be backed in for parking. The new Fire Station 8 has three apparatus bays and the capacity to house about eight personnel members. Relocating it to Bill Stoudt Parkway allowed for improved response time to the coverage area, according to the city.
Fire Station 7, which is located on Gilmer Road, is currently under construction with completion anticipated in August 2026.
It is the third and final fire station to undergo improvements as part of the 2018 bond package. Fire Station 7 was demolished in 2025 and is being rebuilt at its existing location. Fire Station 7, originally constructed in 1971, also was designed for a capacity of four personnel and had two apparatus bays; however, it did not have any pull-through bays which meant all emergency response vehicles had to be backed in for parking. When completed, the updated Fire Station 7 will have two stories and three apparatus bays. The new building is designed to house between eight and ten employees.
The Fire Training Center also received a dedicated investment and a new space.
The new Fire Training Center, which includes a fire training burn building and tower, has been shifted away from its previous location in a residential neighborhood adjacent to Stamper Park to a more suitable space that allows for safer and more effective training to city staff.
Enhancing Streets
Infrastructure
With safer and more connected corridors as a priority, Longview voters approved a $27 million bond package to reconstruct and widen several key roadways while enhancing mobility for pedestrians and cyclists and creating a more welcoming entryway into the city from Interstate 20.
One of the first street components of the 2018 bond to be completed was the Mobberly Avenue and High Street entryway reconfiguration. The project realigned the intersection and extended Millie Street to Mobberly Avenue to create a more functional and aesthetically appealing entrance to the city from I-20.
A signature project of the bond is the Mobberly Avenue Complete Street, which is nearing completion in 2026. A five-lane asphalt road used by thousands of drivers daily, Mobberly Avenue has been reimagined to better serve the growing city. Under the Complete Street design, the roadway is being reconfigured to include bike lanes and sidewalks, enhancing safety and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists.
The bond also funded the Fairmont Street Reconstruction, a project that completely rebuilt an aging three-lane section from Avenue B to H.G. Mosley Parkway. This effort included new concrete pavement, utility upgrades, drainage improvements, and the addition of bike lanes and sidewalks.
Meanwhile, the Reel Road widening project, which is currently under construction, will see the street expanded from two lanes to four, with shared bike lanes and a sidewalk on one side. These upgrades are designed to handle increased traffic volumes while making Reel Road safer for its users.
Improving Quality
of Life Through Parks
For many Longview residents, parks are more than just public spaces. They’re places where families gather, children play, and athletes compete. As part of the 2018 bond program, voters approved $24.7 million in park improvements, dedicated to upgrading and expanding most of the city’s parks, trails, and recreational facilities.
One of the landmark investments under the parks proposition was in Lear Park, the city’s premier multi-use athletic and recreation destination. With an original master plan dating back decades and heavy usage from local leagues and recreational groups, Lear Park was due for significant updates. Bond funding supported enhanced play features at the Jack Mann Splash Pad, new softball and baseball fields with lighting, artificial-turf soccer field conversions, and additional field lighting. In addition to use by residents, the improvements also help support both local leagues and regional tournaments hosted at the park.
Alongside Lear Park, neighborhood park improvements have been a centerpiece of the bond with nearly all the city’s parks receiving upgrades. Lois Jackson Park received two new pavilions and a new playground. McWhorter Park saw the installation of new volleyball courts, improvements to basketball courts, new fences and lights at the ball fields, and a new playground. Patterson Park’s parking lot was repaired, and the playground was replaced. Spring Creek Park received a new playground, the trail was resurfaced, a pavilion was constructed, and the basketball courts were improved. Stamper Park received two new pavilions, a new playground, and improved basketball courts while Womack Park received a new entry with a ticket booth and concession building, bleachers were added, fields were reconfigured, and parking was improved.
Most recently, in 2025, improvements occurred at Rollins Park and Spring Hill Park. At Rollins Park, the playground was replaced and basketball courts were improved. Meanwhile, at Spring Hill Park, a trail was constructed, new play features were added at the splash pad, a pavilion was replaced, and canopies were added at the bleachers.
These park improvements were the result of extensive planning and community engagement, including multiple meetings where residents shared input with Parks and Recreation staff and council members to help shape the projects.
The Longview Arboretum and Nature Center also benefited from bond investments, with enhanced landscaping, lighting, stream improvements, restroom facilities, and site amenities such as pergolas, additional parking, and entrance kiosks.
The trail systems were another key focus of the parks package. The Cargill Long Trail, a three-mile asphalt walking path, was resurfaced to ensure safer and smoother use for walkers, runners, and cyclists alike.
Meanwhile, another cornerstone of the bond package was a major facility upgrade at Broughton Recreation Center, which received a renovation and an expansion.
Since its opening in 1979, Broughton Recreation Center has served as a community hub in South Longview. From festivities surrounding events like Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day to serving as the home of community leagues, a branch of the Longview Public Library, and meeting space, it has been integral to South Longview.
When the original building was constructed in 1978, Broughton was 15,000 square feet. Today, after the city’s $5 million renovation and expansion, the facility’s size has about
doubled. The new addition includes a full-size gymnasium and the library’s branch location. The library’s branch was previously located near the back of the recreation center. Today, it has a prominent location near the entrance. There’s also a new fitness area with cardio equipment set behind large glass windows that face MLK Jr. Boulevard. The existing facility also received a renovation that included adding windows to the meeting rooms where previously there were none and renovating the older gymnasium to accommodate larger events. The city kept the game room at Broughton and updated it. There’s also another fitness area.
The city hopes that these overall improvements have made Longview more inviting and accommodating for residents and visitors alike.
