It’s a two-story building..
Frederick, Md (KM). Plans for a new Frederick Police Department headquarters were scrutinized by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen during their workshop at City Hall on Wednesday.
The plans, developed by the architectural and engineering firm of ClarkNexen, call for a two-story building totaling about 59,000 square feet. There would be 37,009 square feet on the first floor, and 21,002 square feet on the second floor.
Dan Walker, with ClarkNexen told the Mayor and Board that the cost estimates are $290 per square foot, or a total of $17.3-million. “These costs do not include site acquisition,” he says. “It’s based on average construction costs.”
He says the property where this facility is located would need be about 8 to 9-acres.
This proposal is part of A Space Needs Assessment Study conducted by ClarkNexen for the Frederick Police Department, looking out to 2037.
Chief Ed Hargis said the Department has been located next to the Frederick County Court House on West Patrick Street since 1983, and the agency is maxed out on space. He says several components of the department are located away from the main building. As an example, Special Ops, the Criminal Investigation Division and Professional Standards are house in the Court Street Parking Deck. “So if a person comes to police headquarters and they really need to speak to detectives in Criminal Investigations, we have to refer them across the street, or I have to bring a detective from across the street to come over and pick the people to take over to Criminal Investigations,” he says.
The Chief says a larger headquarters would make help provide better service to citizens. “If there was police headquarters, you walk into a lobby, you’re directed to a specific area, and every thing’s contained to that area,” he said.
He also would like to see a multi-purpose room as part of the new headquarters. It could host community events, and for police activities. “Our entry-level officer testing, our PAL and Police Explorer Programs, the Youth Police Academy,” the Chief says. “Graduations, awards, promotion ceremonies.”
The proposal presented on Wednesday is not an architectural plan, these ideas could change in the future. “This is a significant expenditure for any municipality so being able to project how much, using today’s numbers as a baseline. When funding becomes available how much could be programed for that expenditure looking down the road,’ says Walker.
Chief Hargis said no site has been chosen for the new police headquarters, but that could be next step in this process. “People have responded with potential privately owned sites that will be offered up to be future police sites,” he says. “We now have an architecture engineering firm evaluating those locations. Once we have a meeting with the site selection committee to really get that process moving forward, they will come and report out to the Mayor and Board on their findings and recommendations,” he says.
The Space Needs Assessment Study began fiscal year 2017.
By Kevin McManus