A professional assessment of Kenai's public safety building presented Tuesday concluded the 1973 facility is functionally outdated and that new construction for a combined police and fire station would likely be the most practical path forward.

Chris Parker of K and A Design Studios summarized a site assessment and programming study conducted with TCA Architecture, Alaska mechanical/electrical engineers and Nelson Engineering. He said the building needs a roof replacement within about five years and much of its mechanical and electrical equipment is approaching end of life. "Throughout the walk through, we found that... the roof will need to be replaced within the next 5 years," Parker said. He also noted hazardous materials and a compromised vehicle exhaust removal system.

Parker described operational shortcomings including low 10‑foot plate heights that limit modern mechanical systems, dormitory‑style sleeping rooms (rather than private sleeping rooms) and insufficient evidence and warm storage for police operations. The team programmed additional space needs (roughly 10,000 sq ft added to the facility) and outlined four options: renovate in place, renovate plus expansion (up to ~42,000 sq ft), new combined station, or two separate new stations on different sites.

He gave high‑level cost assumptions: roughly $1,000 per sq ft for in‑place renovation (hazmat abatement), $900 per sq ft for expansion, and about $700 per sq ft for new construction. Using those assumptions, a combined renovation/expansion scenario could approach $40,000,000 while a new combined station was estimated at about $29,600,000; two new standalone stations were roughly estimated at $31,000,000. Parker said a combined facility could save on duplicated spaces and mechanical systems.

Council asked about acreage and site options; Parker said a new combined station site could be about 4.4 acres and the existing site roughly 1.5–2 acres. He recommended further analysis and noted the team had reviewed multiple city sites. Parker also offered lessons from other recent projects and emphasized opportunities for shared training and fitness space in a combined design.

The assessment and high‑level cost estimates were provided for planning; Parker and staff said more detailed design and hazardous‑materials abatement cost work would be required before firm budgeting and any bond or grant decisions.

Council thanked Parker for the report and indicated the information will inform future capital planning and grant pursuits.