County architects pare police headquarters design; magistrates and staff debate deferred maintenance and long-term costs

JKS Architects presented a fourth, reduced-cost iteration of a proposed police headquarters for Oldham County at the June 3 fiscal court meeting, telling magistrates the team had trimmed the program and simplified mechanical systems to bring the probable cost down by roughly $10 million from the previously presented figure.

Why it matters: The county has purchased a former shooting-range facility in Crestwood for use as a new law-enforcement complex. The court and the public are weighing whether to proceed with a larger new-build approach or to concentrate on repairing and using the existing building. The proposal includes a new addition and limited renovations to the existing structure.

Architects Keith Sharp and Josh Vernon said the current iteration reduces the new-construction footprint to 22,883 square feet, removes a previously planned geothermal mechanical systems attic and replaces higher-cost facade materials with brick to save money. Keith Sharp summarized the result, saying the team had "backed this thing down about as far as we can." The design also shifts some evidence storage and training functions to remain in the existing building rather than being fully rebuilt in the new addition.

Magistrates and other members of the court pressed several operational and budget questions. Some said they preferred investing in deferred maintenance—particularly a leaking metal roof and aging mechanical systems—rather than committing to a large new-build now. Others stressed that policing needs and future growth justified a new, modern facility with space for investigators, sergeants and secure evidence handling.

Chief concerns raised in the meeting: - Deferred maintenance on the existing building: Officials said there are known needs — roof repairs, HVAC work and geotechnical stabilization — that could cost millions and that those costs had been reduced out of the current proposal rather than included. - Mechanical systems choice: Architects removed geothermal and the systems attic to cut up-front cost, replacing them with rooftop HVAC units; some magistrates worried rooftop units could be harder and more expensive to replace later. - Program trade-offs: Some magistrates argued the architects had trimmed operational spaces—such as the automobile evidence sally port and training areas—that officers rely on and that cutting those spaces may hamper operations.

Architects said the redesign kept the department’s core operational needs and reduced discretionary space and high-cost systems to reach a lower target price. County staff noted the project still includes a set-aside for limited work inside the existing building to ensure continued operations.

Next steps: Architects said the reduced design produced a target price roughly $10 million lower than the prior iteration and presented a revised budget for committee review. The court did not commit to a final direction at the meeting and asked staff and the design team for more-detailed room-size lists and a clearer accounting of the deferred-maintenance needs and geotechnical contingencies.

Ending: Several magistrates said they want additional comparisons of a full repair/retrofit to a partial add-on before committing funds. Magistrate Matthew Woosley urged weighing operational spaces carefully, saying, "I would rather take that space from an office in a position we don't have now versus taking it from a spot that our police department's gonna need." The court deferred a final funding decision pending follow-up material from the architects and staff.