Syracuse to relocate police and fire administrative operations to 1153 West Fayette; FF&E procurement pending

Syracuse City officials said during a council session that the Syracuse Police Department and Syracuse Fire Department will move administrative operations into a new Public Safety Building at 1153 West Fayette Street, with construction currently projected to be complete around mid‑January 2026 and full operations expected in the first quarter of 2026.

Michael Lehman, deputy commissioner in the assessment department, said the city has worked with police and fire “for a couple of years now on this relocation project” and that CHA Consulting was retained last autumn to help manage the move. “One of the elements of that move is procuring furniture, fixtures, and equipment for the departments,” Lehman said, noting much of the departments’ existing furniture is obsolete or can’t be moved.

The procurement will cover desks, chairs and other FF&E. Greg Grates, project manager for CHA Consulting, said the FF&E package currently reflected the architects’ layouts and is scoped as largely new furniture; the city will assess existing inventory and reuse items where practical. “We have an inventory list for the existing furniture and equipment,” Grates said, adding the final purchase list will be adjusted after bids and the departments’ inventory review.

City staff and CHA outlined the procurement and timeline details discussed in the meeting: the city must complete internal approvals and have an ordinance signed before advertising the RFP; once advertised, staff expect to receive bids in about three to four weeks and then award a vendor. Grates and staff said typical lead time for ordered furniture is roughly 12 to 16 weeks.

A councilor asked whether the move would require coordination with a nearby AHA building project; staff said the AHA project is independent but acknowledged shared road and utility impacts and that contractors have coordinated utility and traffic issues. Matt Ojay, commissioner of assessment, said the city and county are negotiating potential purchasers for the current Public Safety Building (PSB) after a county RFP issued about two months earlier; any sale would require approvals from both the city council and the county legislature. “The county RFPed the property, which we own as tenants in common with the county. We’re majority owners,” Ojay said.

Staff also clarified what operations will move: police and public safety administrative operations will relocate to 1153 West Fayette, and many Patrol East functions will consolidate there; exceptions include the police garage, traffic and animal control, which will remain at their current locations. The Syracuse Fire Department will move administrative functions; fire stations will continue to operate as they do now.

Next steps identified in the meeting: staff will finalize the FF&E RFP and submit it for the required approvals; the RFP can be advertised once the ordinance is signed. The city and county will continue negotiations over the disposition of the existing PSB; no final sale has been announced.

The meeting concluded with the council noting the item will be considered again at a future session.