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Commission approves MCD Architects contract for police renovations and expansion design
Summary
Council approved up to $80,000 for MCD Architects to design interview room, evidence/garage storage at DPS, a sally port and dispatch expansion to address accreditation-identified security issues.
The Birmingham City Commission on Oct. 6 approved an agreement with MCD Architects for up to $80,000 to design multiple police department improvements: an interview room in the clerical area, a garage expansion at the Department of Public Services yard for vehicle and evidence storage, a sally port to secure prisoner transports, and an expansion of the dispatch center.
City staff and Police Chief described the projects as responses to accreditation assessors’ safety and security concerns. Staff said an RFP produced four proposals and recommended MCD based on references and past local work, including work at the Baldwin Public Library. The design contract covers all four projects; construction funding is planned across upcoming budgets with the interview room and garage prioritized for the current year and the sally port and dispatch expansion to follow.
Commissioners discussed whether a longer-term new police facility remains an option, cost implications and impacts on other City Hall departments. Staff said the design work addresses immediate accreditation-related needs and could still inform future larger projects; staff also provided approximate project figures from the budget: the sally port and related items were described in staff materials with amounts in the low hundreds of thousands for construction and $72,000 of the design fee to come from capital account 403.0-901.301-977.0000 and $8,000 from general account 101.0-301.000-971.0100.
A motion to approve the MCD Architects agreement in an amount not to exceed $80,000 carried unanimously on roll call.
