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On July
31, 2008 the City held a meeting regarding the Master Plan
for the City Hall Municipal Center (Police, Fire, Service,
and Administrative). Presentations were made by Mayor
Akers, the architectural firm (Bostwick Design), and the
Police Department. Comments were heard from City Council
members, City employees, and 25-30 citizens. Brochures
summarizing the proposed plan – including an aerial view and
estimated costs – were distributed.
The
current complex contains 29,000 square feet. The new
complex would grow ultimately to 50,000 square feet. The
Police Department (Phase 1) accounts for 50% of the
increase, and would cost about $6.5 million. Phases 2-4
(Administration, Service, and Fire) would total about $8.0
million.
As the
meeting ran for approximately three hours, it is difficult
to do justice to the wide variety of comments offered.
However, our highlights are as follows:
·
The architects
examined the police departments at 12 other nearby
communities and based their recommendations on comparable
data, including population, size of police force, and square
footage of buildings. In the overall plan they also took
into account technology developments, consistency in
aesthetics/architecture, and operating efficiency.
·
Photos of the
Police Department working areas left no doubt that the
facility is outdated and overcrowded.
·
Finance
Director Prashant Shah pointed out that financing $7 million
over 20 years would cost $530,000 per year. This is
approximately the same amount as the debt that is expiring
over the next few years. He added that income tax revenues
and assessed valuations were up over last year.
·
Citizen
support for the Police Department upgrade was very strong.
·
Citizen
support for other phases of the development was so-so.
·
Concern was
expressed that the complex would take funds away from other
desirable projects. While few were mentioned explicitly,
there was some call for a strategic review of overall
community needs.
·
Some were
concerned about the scale and cost of all phases of the
project, as well as potential changes in operating costs
(which were not quantified). Questions were raised about
the possibility of sharing services and/or facilities with
other communities (such as a police firing range). |
