Article Contributed on: 11/6/2009 1:26:25 PM
The Littleton City Council has approved entering the second phase of a project to improve facilities for the Littleton Police Department (LPD) including: 14,250 square-feet of new space, renovation of 6,766 square-feet of existing space, and adding 64 parking spaces. The expanded space will be on the north and east side of the current LPD offices at 2255 West Berry Avenue.
Council voted unanimously to authorize Intergroup Architects of Littleton and the city's project manager, Architectural Resource Consultants, to begin the design development phase at a cost of $132,000.
The new parking lot will be built west of the current Littleton Center lot. It will replace parking spaces that will be lost due to the new addition and new spaces required because of the increased square footage.
The renovation will include expanded locker rooms, additional office, report writing and meeting space; a briefing room; traffic and community outreach offices; a training room that will serve as the Emergency Operations Center; and improved records space.
The expanded space will meet the department's most pressing needs of evidence storage and processing, and offices for the Investigations Division. The additional evidence storage will eliminate the need for rented, off-site storage and assure that evidence is secure. The crime lab will have a high vehicle exam bay; and chemical, photo and computer crime laboratories.
Sustainable construction practices will be incorporated including a highly insulated building envelope and roof, high performance window glazing, recycled building materials, low water consumption plumbing fixtures, and energy efficient mechanical systems. Light pollution will be reduced through high efficiency exterior light fixtures.
The total estimated project cost is $6.2 million. The project is progressing in phases and will be paid for from the Special Projects Fund. At the October 20, 2009 meeting, city council voted to move $11.3 million from the Water Utility Fund to the Special Projects Fund. In 2008, the council voted to stop collecting water tap fees for the Water Utility Fund after hearing from Denver Water that it will not ask the city to contribute to the cost of a future large scale water storage project.
The council directed staff to manage the project in phases in order to respond to changing economic conditions and construction costs. The third phase will be the development of construction documents followed by bidding (phase four), and construction administration (phase five). If the project stays on schedule, it could be under construction in the summer of 2010 with completion in the fall of 2011.
Kelli Narde is the director of communications for the City of Littleton.