|
 White began with a quick review of studies that were previously
done by his firm for the city of Lincoln. In July of 2015, the firm
completed and presented a study for the city, outlining the space
requirements for a modern police station and a modern fire station.
The firm presented a number of scenarios including individual
buildings for each department and a combined city safety complex
that would put the police and fire departments in one location.
The firm also looked at a number of locations where the building or
buildings could be located. In those presentations, the bottom line
cost for a police department was going to be around $5.7 million. It
was estimated that putting the two departments into one building
would cost about $11.75 million.
The 2015 study also showed that the police department alone would
require 13,854 square feet to be appropriately setup.
Tuesday night White talked about how well the school fits into the
model that was presented in 2015. He noted that there is 15,000
square feet of floor space in the retired school, more than enough
to fashion a very well working, modern facility, with some room to
grow.
 He did note that to make the building proper; there would need to be
the addition of a sally port. The sally port is the area where
police vehicles may drive in securely and transfer a person in
custody from the vehicle to the police holding area. White had drawn
out the location for the sally port and said it was very workable.
As a considered expert in police station design, White said that the
school was a very good fit. The location is good on Fifth Street,
there is room for parking for squads as well as visitors, and noted
the additional space on the north side of Sixth Street where a
garage could be built for indoor storage of some vehicles.
The floor plan includes a large space for officer training
activities. He said this is an asset to the city for its own
department, but it also provides ample space, incorporate training
officers from other departments. He said ultimately that would
possibly bring police officers from out of the area into Lincoln for
overnight stays. In addition, he said, often the hosting department
will get free admission to a training event for a few of its
officers.
In the floor plan, he pointed out that the front entry for civilian
traffic will be designed so that those coming in to conduct
business, such as obtain police reports, can do so without entering
the heart of the station.
He also noted that when the school district moved out of the
building, it left behind some playground equipment. He said that was
not a bad thing. He noted other departments where he has seen
park-like areas, and that it could be good to have the public play
area connected to the police department.
In the drawing, Jonie Tibbs noted there was an area labeled
“lock-up.” She wondered what that was about. The city has stated
that though they will be separate from the Logan County Sheriff’s
Department, they would still utilize the Logan County Jail for
detaining suspects.
White explained this would be a temporary holding area for those who
have been arrested. It will be a location for prisoners who are
awaiting questioning or awaiting charges. Once the proper procedure
has been followed, then the detainee would be transported to the
Logan County Jail.
The cost to transform the school into a police station is estimated
to be around $2.5 million. Todd mourning noted that comes to about
$193 per square foot and that any way one looked at it, that was a
very good price for what was being proposed, particularly when new
construction was estimated to $250 per square foot last year.
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Throughout the presentation, White made reference to the odd shape of the
classrooms in the school, calling them pie-shaped. He told the council that with
the construction style of the building, the walls inside could be taken down and
new walls erected. However, in working with Chief Paul Adams on the floor plan,
the chief was conscious of the cost of doing that type of work and said his
department could function in pie-shaped rooms.
White told the aldermen they should appreciate their chief’s willingness to keep
costs down by working with what is already there.
The aldermen also talked about the estimate for the new build, and how the cost
has probably gone up since that original report. White said yes, it would be
safe to estimate that construction costs rise about four percent per year. Kathy
Horn then commented that the lesson is that the city needed to move on the work
sooner rather than later on this remodel, as again they could expect that the
cost will only go up.
Rick Hoefle asked about who would do the work on the remodel; he wanted the
architects to consider local contractors as much as possible.
White said that would be taken into consideration. He said there would be
invitations to bid sent out to qualified contractors, and there will also be
open bidding, in that the firm will advertise for bids from any contractor who
wishes to submit.
White said it is also reasonable to add a clause to the bid packet that would
say the council can give preference to a local contractor, even if the bid comes
in, for example, up to 5 percent higher than the lowest bidder.
He also cautioned that the city needs to be mindful that they hire responsible,
experienced contractors with proven track records in this type of work.
White was asked about the overall condition of the building. He said that it
appears to him, that with regular maintenance, the building has a 50-year
lifespan ahead of it. He noted that the roof is relatively new and in good
condition.
Asked about the life span of the floor plan, White said he believed this would
be a good working floor plan for the department for the next 25 years. He said
that in each area, there is going to be room for expansion, and noted as an
example, the officer areas will have room to add more desk and work areas, and
the locker areas will also have room for growth.
He said the building would require new heating and air conditioning, and
security windows designed specifically for a police department.
White said the next step for his firm would be to do the finalized drawings and
prepare the bid packets. He said his firm would do all this work during the
winter months, and be ready to go out for bid on the project in the spring.
On the Monday, October 3rd voting agenda a motion will be made to hire FGM for
the design work and bidding process at the cost of $180,000.
While it is expected that the motion will be made, the council has the right to
table any action item on the agenda if they feel they are not prepared to take a
vote.
[Nila Smith] |
