Architects Present Concepts for Public Safety Building

At the annual fall forum on Oct. 19, architecture firm Kaestle Boos Associates presented potential concept designs for a new public safety facility that would combine fire and police service into one state-of-the-art building.

A feasibility team decided to focus on two potential sites: the Little League field on Veterans Road, and the seventh hole of the golf course. Both designs could be achieved in either a single phase construction or a multiphase construction.

Veterans Road Little League Field

The Veterans Road location would create a three-story building shared by both the fire and police departments.

The first floor would feature apparatus storage for the fire department, patrol and detention centers for the police department, a building maintenance center, and a training facility that is also open to the public.

The second floor would host a dayroom and bunks for the fire department, an investigations unit for the police department, and a shared fitness center.

The third floor would house the offices of fire and police administrators, as well as a shared conference room.

The site would feature 35 staff parking spaces and 15 visitor parking areas.

A single phase construction option would cost almost $37 million, while a multiphase approach would cost closer to $47 million. These estimates do not include the costs to relocate the Little League field.

7th Hole of the Golf Course

The golf course concept is a two-story building.

On the first floor, the fire department would have apparatus storage. The police department would have patrol, detention and training facilities, as well as a secure garage. This floor also features a shared fitness center and a training center that is open to the public.

On the second floor would be the mezzanine, bunks and administrative offices for the fire department, the investigative unit for the police department, and shared conference rooms.

The site would feature 29 parking spaces for fire personnel, 59 parking spaces for police staff, and 10 visitor parking areas, including three handicap parking spaces. There would also be a shooting range on site.

A single phase construction option would cost almost $46 million, while a multiphase approach would cost closer to $54 million. These estimates do not include the costs to renovate the golf course.

Next Steps

Council President-Elect James Letterie voiced his support for a single phase approach, regardless of the chosen design.

“If we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna do it right and do it once,” he said. “This has been talked about since the ’80s. Let’s stop talking about it.”

Once a design is chosen, construction could begin as early as spring of 2023.

Other sites considered were the old middle school, the Pauline Street fire and police station, the Shirley Street station, the Veteran’s Road Expert Auto, the Veteran’s Road golf maintenance site, the Walden Street Muffin Town, the Walden Street basketball courts, and the Winthrop Street municipal parking lot.

For each potential site, the feasibility team considered factors such as traffic, flooding, land ownership, response times, predevelopment costs and neighborhood impacts.