HomeMy WebLinkAboutCITY OF FORT COLLINS POLICE SERVICES FACILITY - PDP - 29-05 - MEDIA - CORRESPONDENCEoom to grow
Police department getting
7-1y-By
City secures site for new headquarters
By MATTHEW BENSON
MattBenson@coloradoan.com
EA
EAsting, new site
The city of Fort Collins
Comparison
inked a $1.8 million land
Page A2
deal Tuesday for a future
police headquarters.
The 10.8-acre site — on
the west side of Timberline
Road between Drake and
Prospect roads, just south
of the Larimer County JJail
— will ggtrvve rise to a $28
million facility that dwarfs
the current police station at
300 LaPorte Ave.
The deal marks the end of
a two-year site search and a
big step toward resolving
what city officials have long
seen as a shortcoming. The
police station was built in
1957 — originally serving as
City Hall — and has been
overcrowded for years.
"I think this is a signifi-
cant milestone for (the po-
lice department) and the
city of Fort Collins," said in-
terim City Manager Darin
Atteberry. "It makes me ex-
tremely proud we were able
to pull this deal together.
"We're ready to roll"
The new facility will pro-
vide 92,000 square feet, At-
teberry said — roughly 3rfi
times more than the existing
building and enough space
to handle growth in the po-
lice department for 20 years.
The site —which the city
plans to close on next week
Continued from Page Al
station by 2007 or 2008.
"We've been pushing this for
several years now, and it's final-
ly become a reality," said Mayor
Ray Martinez, who worked in
the police department from 1974
to 1996.
The city jumped on the par-
cel, Atteberry said, because of its
central location and proximity
to the jail, downtown and the
city's transportation network.
The Timberline/Prospect in-
tersection has been a continuing
trouble spot for congestion, but
the city is setting aside $507,000
in an escrow account to help pay
for improvements. Numerous
possibilities exist for funding an
expansion of the intersection and
Timberline Road, Atteberry not-
ed, including the establishment of
a special improvement district
"We are going to have adequate
infrastructure down there before
this building opens," he said.
The $1.8 million for the land
comes from the 1997 Building
Community Choices sales taxes
approved by voters.
The city will fund the facility
through the issuance of Certifi-
cates of Participation, which are
similar to bonds. More than $32
million worth of such certificates
already have been issued for the
project.The city will pay for the
building with 22 annual pay-
ments between 2005 and 2026.
- Rich Abrahamson/The Coloradcan
CRAMPED QUARTERS: A new facility is being planned for the
Fort Collins police deparlrnent The current building, at 300
LaPorte Ave., Is picturgd above.
also affords more elbowY4 The city plans to break
room, with 71A acres for the ground in 2006 and open the
building and any future ad-
ditions. ..See POLICE/Page A2
- To make those payments, City
.Council has been setting aside
for the new building roughly
$400,000 a year for the past sev-
eral years and should have $1.6
million built up by next year.
City Finance Director Alan Krc-
marik said $8.2 million is avail-
able through police impact fees
on new construction, Building
Community Choices money and
capital projects funding.
All told, the city plans to set
aside $10 million to $10.4 million
up front in an interest -bearing
account dedicated to pay for the
facility, Krcmarik said.
"The beauty of this is that
we've taken care of this critical
issue in a primary service area
without going to the voters and
asking for a tax increase," Mar-
tinez said.
By the numbers
Existing police station,
300 LaPorte Ave.
■ Built:1957
IN Site size:1Yz acres
■ Building size: 26,564
square feet
Planned police station, along
Timberline Road between
Drake and Prospect roads
■ Built: break ground in
2006; open in 2007 or 2008
n Site size: 10.8 acres, 7Ya
net acres (subtracting space
for future roads)
■ Building size: 92,000
square feet