Committee selects Option C for new Middletown 911 center, approves Tekton payment and advances design

The Middletown Public Safety 911 Center Building Committee voted April 23 to advance Tekton’s Option C schematic design (6,739 square feet) into design development and authorized payment to Tekton for schematic design work.

Tekton’s presenter described Option C as a middle ground between an over-budget full-scope plan and a smaller, under-budget scheme, noting it includes an eight-position dispatch center, director and deputy offices, a 16-person training/multipurpose room, dual bunk rooms and living-quarters support (showers, restrooms), a fitness room, communications equipment room, and a secure corridor separating public access from back-of-house operations. "This is option C. This is sort of the middle ground," the Tekton presenter said while walking the committee through the layout. The presenter reported the option’s construction estimate at about $7,261,000 (all markups) and a projected total project cost of approximately $9,661,000, with an owner contingency of roughly $340,000.

Committee members probed operational details. Councilman Gennaro asked about access control and whether the plan will use fobs, keypads or other credentialing; Tekton said budgets include access control and video surveillance but detailed placement and credentialing will be worked out in dedicated follow-up meetings over the next 10–12 weeks. The director said the intention is to align with the city’s current S2 access-control system so credentials can integrate with other city buildings.

Questions also covered single-floor design, the dual-purpose "mother's room" (a lactation and decompression computer room required by current building code), and whether bunk rooms plus the training room could accommodate emergency sheltering for staff during major storms. Tekton and the director said the approach balances cost and flexibility: dedicated bunk rooms for short stays and use of the training room for larger-scale temporary sleeping arrangements, with space set aside for storage of cots and related equipment.

On budget and schedule, Tekton said bidding in the current market is favorable and estimated that if the committee bids in early fall and awards a contract, construction would take roughly 14 months (projected completion near the following Christmas). The committee voted to authorize payment of $46,500 to Tekton to cover schematic design work (part of a total contract amount discussed as $620,000) and to move Option C into design development; both motions passed with no opposition recorded.

Next steps: Tekton will proceed with design development work (design development/35% construction documents) and staff will schedule the technical follow-up meetings on systems such as access control and video surveillance; procurement of FF&E (monitors, etc.) will be treated separately to avoid obsolescence and is expected to occur later in the schedule.