The current design is a 32,000-square-foot, two-story building with an estimated $10 million price tag, Jon Stevens, a representative with McFate Group, told council.
What we know
Stevens told council members that the project is in a “programming level test fit stage” and said the drawings are preliminary. Stevens said the team has 3D-scanned the existing building, built a model and worked through multiple design iterations using a spreadsheet of department “wants, needs [and] desires,” along with code requirements.
Stevens said the draft layout centers the council chambers as the “heartbeat” of the building, with many offices along exterior walls where new windows could be added. The concept also includes an elevator, record storage and flexible office/meeting spaces.
Council members also heard how the design's goal is to separate public-facing city functions from police operations, including limiting entry points “for security purposes,” while giving the police department its own entrance.
Plans discussed included booking and evidence functions, such as holding and evidence areas, along with dedicated police workspaces.
Diving in deeper
On the exterior, Stevens said the goal is to make the building feel like a civic facility rather than a hardware store, including “punching” in more windows and adding a canopy for shading. He also said parts of the existing exterior would likely need to be rebuilt due to construction conditions.
As the council weighed long-term needs, discussion touched on future growth and how many staff members the building could support. Mayor Sara Countryman said the planning should keep in mind a city workforce that could eventually reach 100 employees.
Stevens said the next step would be bringing forward a proposal for full architectural and engineering services such as mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural and other work to keep refining the design.
