The Poplar Bluff City Council will vote March 16 on a firm to design a new police department.
A presentation was given Monday by the top scorer from current proposals, Police Facility Design Group of Kansas City. The council plans to purchase 58 acres of property on Shelby Road for the building.
Fees for the firm have not been discussed.
James Estes, PFDG co-owner and president, told council members the group has constructed at least 300 law enforcement facilities.
“We do nothing but law enforcement projects,” Estes said. “I believe that we bring unparalleled experience to this one project.”
Estes discussed specialized needs for the structure, including security for the transport and holding of prisoners.
City manager Mark Massingham agreed special consideration needs to be given to security, saying the type of crime officers deal with has changed in the last 15 years, including gang shootings and suspects under the influence of narcotics.
“As much safety as we can put in this building for our officers, and the public, and the criminals, that’s what we need to do,” said Massingham.
City council candidate Robert E. Durbin spoke prior to the presentation and again after the presentation, questioning the planned location on Shelby Road.
Durbin spoke against plans to use a portion of the property as green space, and said property already owned in the downtown area should be used.
“The city of Poplar Bluff cannot afford to be spending $1,000,050 for more green space. We can’t maintain what we’ve got now,” said Durbin, asking the council to hold off on further decisions until after the April 7 election to fill three spots on the council.
Council member at-large Ron Black and Mayor Robert Smith questioned Estes about the specific and unique needs of a police department.
“It’s going to be tailor fit to your specifications,” Estes said, adding later, “Every community is different, every building is different.”
Detention areas, for example, operate better with sliding doors rather than swinging doors, which can be used as a weapon, Estes said. Special fixtures are used for security in areas such as utilities, and how air is brought into and taken out of the facility.
Anything that protrudes can be used as a weapon, so the design also looks at details such as every door handle and anything that protrudes into a space, he continued.
The police department has been in three different buildings since he has served with the city, said Black.
“None of those have been designed as a police department. They have been make do departments. I think we’re very fortunate that we haven’t had some serious problems,” he said.
Other boards he has served with have brought in specialists to construct buildings, Black continued.
“Do we pay for that? Yes, we do. Was it good money spent for us? I believe it was. I think it’s just time to design a police building that will serve our community well,” he said.
PFDG would be meet with city staff to determine the current space needs for a new department, and work with police managers to determine how the department operates.
“This is not done in a vacuum,” Estes said. “It’s done with the user of the facility… It’s always going to be about owner-driven goals.”
The city has previously paid architects to look at the space needs of the building under multiple contracts with Dille and Traxel Architecture, starting approximately five years ago.
At least $25,000 has been paid previously to Dille and Traxel, including at least $12,000 of engineering funds, officials with the company have said previously.
The city has not addressed the status of the previous contracts signed with Dille and Traxel.
The firm was among those who submitted proposals for the new project, but did not make it into the top three, Massingham said previously.
Three city employees scored proposals from six firms after a St. Louis company was dropped from consideration because it did not meet requirements. Documents from the other companies and scoring sheets have not been released.
Scoring of the proposals was done by Massingham, police Chief Danny Whiteley, city planner Matt Winters and Deputy Chief Mike McClain.
PFDG expects to spend about half of its time on design. In addition to research prior to design, they would also oversee construction, along with the city’s consultant, Navigate.
The building will look at function first, but should also be welcoming, Estes said.
“We want the building to be something community … is proud of,” he said.
PFDG provided details on other police departments it has designed, including a 2009 facility in Manchester, Missouri, with 27,000 square feet at a cost of almost $7 million.