Gahanna says police headquarters renovation is advancing; construction contract at $59.6 million

City staff told the Committee of the Whole on April 14 that construction and interior work at the 825 Tech Center Drive police and municipal facility are advancing, with all site utilities in place and interior finishes progressing on the second and third floors.

The project team said the construction contract(s) total $59,627,000. Through the February pay application the project was invoiced at about 46 percent (roughly $27.5 million). Allowances and contingencies total about $4.7 million, of which $867,000 (about 26 percent) had been spent through the most recent accounting reported to council.

Director Schultz told council the rooftop HVAC units, five in total, were set recently and the building should begin to be conditioned as it is dried in. He said drywall finishing is underway and ceiling grid installation has started in the third-floor north–south wing; a holding facility and other police spaces were moving toward final fit-out. Chief (police) described the building as "a hardened, public safety facility" with storm‑shelter capacity, separate hard and soft lobbies, and an internal safe room to protect staff and members of the public during incidents.

Nut graph: The update combined schedule, cost and procurement information as the project moves from rough construction to interior finishes. Staff said FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) and moving/logistics procurements are active and that the project remains on a tight schedule tied to bond financing and contingency planning.

Staff and finance details: The project summary presented to council includes the building purchase (shown as $8.75 million on the slides), $1.6 million budgeted for FF&E plus a $500,000 health-and-wellness allocation for equipment such as height‑adjustable desks, and third‑party inspection and permitting costs. Bond financing entries shown included an $18.2 million issuance (reduced by a 2032 bond refund) and a second issuance of $33.5 million. The city reported $10 million in cash applied to the project (listed as $3 million from capital and $7 million from the general fund) to cover FF&E and contingencies and to avoid borrowing for uncertain contingency expenditures.

Procurements and schedule: RFP responses for FF&E were due to the architect in the week after the meeting. City staff said moving and logistics RFPs were published to coordinate the move-in. The administration said the contract pay application through February had been approved and that March pay applications were pending.

Questions from council focused on contingency usage, the accounting of bond proceeds and cash, and the timing of remaining work. Director Schultz said weather and winter slowdown slowed early months but construction pace picked up in March. He also said the interior shaft wall that had been noncompliant was removed and rebuilt to code.

Ending: Staff said they would return with the results of the FF&E procurement at the second committee meeting in May and will continue to brief council on schedule, pay applications and contingency use.