Kansas Highway Patrol requests $51.7 million to begin reconfiguring Salina campus after needs assessment

The Kansas Highway Patrol on Jan. 29 presented a needs assessment for its Salina facilities and requested up to $51.7 million in state general funds to begin reconfiguring assets on a new or partially new campus.

The study, compiled by Clark and Anderson (lead) with Dewberry contributing public-safety programming, evaluated four planning options and recommended “option 2,” a partial reconfiguration that consolidates most functions on a new campus while keeping the central evidence facility and the outdoor firearms range in their current locations. That option is estimated at $416.6 million, the study found.

Merle Bridal, Executive Officer for the Kansas Highway Patrol, told the Committee on Transportation that the Salina assets “really comprise the heart of our law enforcement operations throughout Kansas.” Bridal said the agency concurs with the report’s recommendation but recognizes the total cost cannot be funded in a single year; the $51.7 million request would fund initial steps for the top priorities.

The consultant presentations described widespread deficiencies at the existing Marymount College campus sites now used by the patrol. Rick Wise, principal with Clark and Anderson, said building-by-building assessments found seven of nine structures needing “major renovation and replacement,” and that several critical systems are aging, undersized, or not storm-hardened. Jonathan Tallman of Dewberry summarized programming work showing current conditions total about 88,000 square feet across four Salina sites and projected a roughly 25-year need of about 375,000 square feet.

Study options and costs presented to the committee included: option 1, full consolidation on a new campus, $443.6 million; option 2, partial reconfiguration on a new campus, $416.6 million (consultant recommendation); option 3, rebuild on the existing Marymount site, $327.2 million; and option 4, modernize existing facilities without meeting 25-year needs, $116.4 million. The consultants said option 3 could avoid acquiring new land but would not provide a driving course of the length the patrol seeks.

A significant component of the higher-cost options is a three-mile driving course estimated at $106.4 million. The current driving course on KDOT property is about one mile, and the study said that length is insufficient to train troopers for highway pursuit speeds.

Bridal and the consultants emphasized the dispatch center as the highest immediate priority. “Even among those, we would say that the dispatch center is above all the highest priority. The current working conditions for that are very difficult,” Bridal said, noting the existing dispatch operations occupy a former dormitory that is not built to support current technology or to remain operational during severe weather.

The study evaluated eight potential sites and identified three top candidates: K-State Salina (about 27 acres of available state property), the Kansas National Guard site (about 16 acres), and a privately held Water Well Road site (about 211 acres). The Water Well site is large enough to accommodate all program elements, including a driving course; the two state-owned sites would likely require a separate location for the driving course.

The agency asked the committee to approve up to $51.7 million in FY 2026 to begin reconfiguration work that would fund a replacement dispatch center (estimated $24.9 million) and relocation of Troop C and Troop S headquarters (together estimated $26.8 million). Bridal outlined a potential multi-year phasing plan: initial request in FY 2026 for the dispatch and troop headquarters, funding for the training academy and central supply in FY 2028 (about $258.5 million), and the driving course in a later year if pursued.

Bridal described next steps the patrol would pursue if the request is approved: formal discussions with K-State Salina, the Kansas National Guard and KDOT about co-location and shared resources; ordered appraisals for potential sale of the Marymount campus to help offset costs; and examination of grants or federal funding for specific non-construction elements (for example, communications equipment for dispatch).

Committee members asked questions about phasing, site constraints (drainage and access on some properties), whether lease-build alternatives were considered (the consultants’ cost estimates were for purchases and construction only), and the current recruitment and training impacts from facility conditions. Bridal said exact vacancy projections were not provided at the hearing and that use by outside agencies of the training academy has declined as facility conditions and access problems have worsened.

No formal committee vote occurred during the presentation. The agency’s request and the consultant report now stand for the committee’s further consideration in the budgeting and planning process.