Eastpointe council approves final design work for new police and courthouse, delays firing range and animal-control building

The Eastpointe City Council voted May 6 to move forward with the final detailed design for a new police and municipal court building but excluded an on-site firing range and a permanent animal-control facility from the current design package.

City project manager Mister Kern told council that, if the council approved proceeding with final design that night, completing the detailed design and obtaining permits could take up to a year, with bidding likely in summer 2026, construction beginning in about September 2026 and final completion in early to mid‑2028. Kern said water and sanitary sewer permits — reviewed by the agency identified in the packet as Eagle — could take four to six months and might slow the schedule.

Council members and staff discussed cost, parking and the firing range. Staff estimated a parking structure would add about $40,000 per parking space, translating to roughly $4–5 million additional cost for the number of spaces needed. Estimates for a firing range varied in the discussion: staff referenced an equipment estimate near $900,000 but also described prior range refurbishments costing “less than a quarter million” if ventilation and an exterior building were excluded; earlier refurbishment figures discussed in the meeting put ventilation and lead‑control components between about $400,000 and $750,000. City staff and a former municipal manager also cited an estimate that, if the city did not provide its own range, overtime and backfill costs for officers could be roughly $97,000 per year, producing a long payback period for an owned range.

After discussion about parking alternatives and the separate timeline for designing a possible range, the council approved a motion to complete the design plans for the police and court building while leaving the firing range and an animal control building out of the immediate design scope. The council directed administration to continue evaluating parking alternatives during the design phase and to return to council for approval before the project is put out to bid.

Why it matters: Council approval starts the long design process for a multi‑million dollar public safety/courthouse project paid in part by state earmarks discussed during the meeting. The council’s decision narrows immediate project scope — removing the range and the animal‑control building — which affects project costs, timeline and future decisions about off‑site services and interlocal agreements.

Details: Kern described the timeline and permit dependencies and told council he would prioritize getting the site work and permit submittals started. Council members pushed staff to continue exploring parking configurations that would be less intrusive to the downtown streetscape. Multiple council members said they were open to re‑examining the firing range later if outside agencies would commit to using it or if additional funding could be secured.

The council discussed two state earmarks referenced in the staff packet — described during the meeting as approximately $7,000,000 and $1,000,000 — and sought clarification from administration about any completion deadlines tied to those funds. Council asked administration to confirm application and disbursement timelines for the earmarked state funds.

Discussion vs. decision: Council debate included cost alternatives for parking and a multi‑speaker exchange about range refurbishment costs and safety/operational concerns. The formal decision was limited in scope: approve moving forward with final design for the police and court building while excluding the firing range and the animal control building from the current design package and requiring council review before bidding.

Votes and next steps: The motion to proceed with final design excluding the firing range and animal control passed on a roll call vote with four yes votes and one no vote (see action record). Staff said it would return monthly or as needed with design status updates and that council approval would be required before issuing bid documents.

Sources and attributable quotes in this story come from Council and staff remarks recorded in the May 6, 2025 Eastpointe City Council meeting transcript.