Council approves purchase of county land for police evidence facility and awards design contract

The Prescott City Council on Oct. 14 approved Ordinance No. 2025-1906 authorizing purchase of approximately 7.483 acres from Yavapai County for a planned police substation and property evidence facility and subsequently approved a design services contract with Arrington Watkins Architects for $1,959,533.

Real estate administrator Brian Sparks presented the location across from the Yavapai County Criminal Justice Center and said the city team selected the site after reviewing alternatives. A joint appraisal by BBG appraisals returned a value of $1,550,000 for the purchased acreage; Sparks said the county board of supervisors has approved the sale and the appraisal costs were split between the agencies.

Public works Director Tim Sherwood and Police Chief Bonnie (first name used in meeting) described the proposed facility as a multi-use, climate-controlled evidence storage and operations campus expected to exceed 20,000 square feet when built. Sherwood said city staff solicited statements of qualifications in June and, after interviews, a five-member team selected Arrington Watkins Architects; the contract was negotiated and finalized Sept. 30.

Chief Bonnie said the design emphasis is long-term capacity and future-proofing: evidence storage, controlled environments for items such as biologic materials and large-scale cellphone and digital device management, elevated canine and animal control facilities, vehicle storage and operations needs. She said the city’s downtown police facilities are space- and parking-constrained and that this campus would centralize many functions currently dispersed across city properties.

Council members asked about buildable acreage on the sloped site, the need for geotechnical and borings, and potential site-preparation costs. Staff said the project team had reviewed visible slopes and that the preliminary estimate anticipates using roughly five acres for initial construction with room for future expansion; engineers will perform standard geotechnical investigations during design. Council members asked staff to ensure borings and geotechnical analysis were completed before major commitments.

The council approved the purchase ordinance and then voted to award the design contract; both votes were 5-0. Sherwood said funding for the design contract is budgeted in FY26 and will come from the voter-approved Proposition 478 dedicated sales tax for public safety projects.

Next steps include finalizing geotechnical and site investigations, proceeding through design milestones with Arrington Watkins, and returning to council for construction authorization and budget approvals.