Police building committee selects architect and plans to incorporate more-than-$1 million EOC grant

The police building committee told the Board of Police Commissioners on July 20 that it has selected an architect and will move toward a contract and public outreach for a possible new police building that will include an emergency operations center funded by a recently awarded grant.

Chris Besterfield, identified by the chair as the building committee chair and who spoke to the Board, said the committee received six proposals, shortlisted to two, and selected JHA Jukonski Homes Architect LLC. "We chose JHA Jukonski Homes, Architect LLC," he said, and the committee is working "to get under contract as soon as we can" and to schedule a kickoff meeting.

Besterfield also told the Board the town had secured grant funding for a new emergency operations center. "We got over 1000000 dollars for a new EOC," he said, and the committee plans to incorporate equipment requirements for that EOC into the building concept and master schedule. He said the committee will develop a communication plan and hold public outreach as the project proceeds.

Why it matters: A new police facility and an integrated EOC would be a long-term, high-cost project with town-wide implications for capital planning, operations and community engagement. The building committee told the Board it will coordinate with other town construction projects and the recently awarded grant when developing schedules and outreach.

Next steps: The committee is negotiating a contract with the selected architect and plans periodic reports to the commission. The Board approved proceeding with regular building-committee updates and agreed to limited attendance for an executive-session review of a draft communications video.