Casper might pay Kansas Metropolis agency as much as ~$2.06M to design new police HQ

Casper Police Chief Keith McPheeters discussing the acquisition of the Casper Enterprise Heart, visibile within the background, at a press convention on Might 11. (Brendan LaChance, Oil Metropolis)

CASPER, Wyo. — The Metropolis of Casper is seeking to rent Kansas Metropolis–based mostly Police Facility Design Group to finish designs for the renovation of the Casper Enterprise Heart, the constructing at 123 W. 1st St., which the town not too long ago bought to accommodate police headquarters, municipal court docket and different metropolis capabilities.

The Casper Metropolis Council will probably be requested to contemplate authorizing a contract with the agency throughout its Tuesday, Might 17 assembly. If the contract is authorized, the town might pay Police Facility Design Group as much as $2,061,978 for the undertaking.

The Metropolis Council approved the $8 million buy of the Casper Enterprise Heart at a particular assembly in April, a purchase order that ate up many of the $9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds the town acquired, in response to Metropolis Supervisor Carter Napier.

The precise price to renovate the 41-year-old constructing won’t be recognized till a design is full and the town places the undertaking out to bid. Town plans to pay for the renovations beginning with its $11.2 million in remaining federal CARES Act funds, then flip to the $5 million in its Alternative Fund if wanted, Napier mentioned at a Might 11 press convention. He added that he thinks it unlikely the town might want to dip into reserve funds which can be supposed to stay devoted to different functions.

If the Metropolis Council approves the contract with Police Facility Design Group, the agency will present architectural design and development administration providers for the town’s new police headquarters on the Casper Enterprise Heart.

Police Facility Design Group performed a police headquarters needs assessment for the city in 2019, and the agency helped present consulting when the town thought of the acquisition of the Casper Enterprise Heart, in response to a memo from Casper Police Chief Keith McPheeters. The agency has performed an on-site analysis of the constructing.

A “native subject material skilled” retained by the town has helped consider whether or not Police Facility Design Group is the precise option to design the brand new police headquarters, in response to the memo from McPheeters. That particular person appeared on the agency’s pricing in contrast with native and nationwide tendencies and appeared on the agency’s experience relating to designing and engineering police services.

Different municipalities in addition to state governments have additionally thought of utilizing federal cash to pay for infrastructure initiatives like Casper is doing with the police headquarters undertaking, McPheeters mentioned within the memo.

“Specialised design and engineering providers are quickly being contracted, and the demand for these specialised providers has already resulted in elevated delays,” he added. “It’s the advice of the Casper Police Division that the Architectural Design and Building Administration Providers contract be executed directly in order to keep away from unwarranted delays on this undertaking. Likewise, the prevailing relationship with PFDG has confirmed to be efficient, price environment friendly, and useful to the Metropolis.”

“Subsequently, it’s our advice that Council authorize the Metropolis to enter into contract with PFDG to carry out the architectural design and development administration providers for the brand new police headquarters, for which PFDG could be paid an quantity to not exceed $2,061,978.”

The design course of is anticipated to take 6–12 months, with the renovation of the Casper Enterprise Heart anticipated to be full in 2–3 years, Mayor Ray Pacheco mentioned on the press convention final week. In the meantime, some metropolis capabilities are anticipated to maneuver into the constructing instantly, in response to McPheeters.

The general funding within the Casper Enterprise Heart is anticipated to be considerably lower than the roughly $50 million price to construct a brand-new police headquarters, in response to Napier. The metropolis is conscious the Casper Enterprise Heart, constructed in 1981, has some asbestos, however doesn’t suppose abatement prices will probably be exorbitant.

The driving elements within the metropolis’s curiosity within the Casper Enterprise Heart have been its central location and its potential to change into the brand new residence of police headquarters, dispatch, municipal court docket and different metropolis providers at a extra reasonably priced price than setting up a brand-new constructing, Napier has mentioned.

Particulars concerning why the police division sees a necessity for a brand new headquarters are explored on this article about inadequacies McPheeters pointed to throughout a tour on the Corridor of Justice in February.