Schematic Design Alternatives for the Police Department Renovation Project

Direct staff to proceed with Option #3, the two-story addition in the southwest planter of the Police Building, as part of the Police Department Renovation Project.

The current Carmel Police Department building was constructed in 1967. As such, at 50 years old, this facility requires improvements to maintain functionality, modernization to accommodate current equipment, and an expansion to properly house police operations.

Specific areas that fall into these categories are: the evidence processing and property areas, which has inadequate space and poor ventilation; as noted in prior audits;  the dispatch room, which is no longer functional nor safe;  and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which is outdated and poorly situated in the basement. In addition, the facility needs improvements to meet federal Americans with Disability Act (ADA) regulations, repairs to leaking roofs, upgrades to electrical and mechanical systems to meet current Building Codes, additional space for a proper utility room, and more office and multi-use space.

Over the past few months, Kasavan Architects and City staff, evaluated four (4) expansion alternatives each with advantages and disadvantages and a wide range of conceptual construction costs. The four (4) floor plan options are attached; however, it should be noted that these are very preliminary plans and the architect will need to refine the floor plan layouts as the design phase progresses.  

The City Council is now only being asked to choose one of the four options because, until one of these “big picture” schematic design options is selected, final design plans and preparation of  bid documents cannot effectively advance towards construction.

Option #1 is the original concept developed by staff prior to the architect's input and consists of two distinct components. Inside the building, the dispatch room would be reconfigured and modernized - a 257 square foot renovation. Outside, the building would be expanded into the adjacent, open patio to the southeast of the building to provide space for evidence processing and property storage. This "bare bones" option addresses the minimum critical needs for today's police operations, but does not address other important needs nor future expansion needs. 

During meetings with the architectural team, a rendering of the original building’s future build out concept was reviewed, which led to the idea of utilizing the existing planter area next to Junipero, just north of the plaza entry steps, as an alternative expansion area as it was originally conceived in 1967. Also physically adjacent to the existing building, this planter area has 50% more space than the southeast patio.

Option #2 would construct the expansion area at the main level grade above the top of the existing planter walls. While superior and more cost-effective than Option #1, Option #2 would not prevent the possibility of having to expand the police building again at some point in the future as police operations continue to diversify, as anticipated. 

Option #3 expands the Option #2 concept by constructing both upstairs and downstairs areas, both within the planter footprint, creating three times more expansion space than originally planned, and provides significant space programming opportunities and flexibility over a very long term. A key advantage of Option #3 is that the EOC would be relocated from the basement to the upper level of the expansion area, and Public Works could then occupy the abandoned EOC space.

Option #4, also known as the full build-out, would include both the two-story addition in the planter area (as per Option #3) as well as the original southeast patio expansion area (as per Option #1).

Options #2, #3, and #4 include a 391 square foot renovation to the interior of the building for reconfiguration of the dispatch room, reconstruction of a restroom to meet ADA requirements, modifications to communications and electrical systems, and emergency exit stairs, depending on the selected option.  

Options #3 and #4 appear to be very long term solutions for police operations and may be more fiscally-prudent in the long term over Options #1 and #2 because Options #1 and #2 may not provide sufficient space for future police operations during the remaining life of the original building. Options #3 and #4 have added benefits of a  modernized EOC and much needed office and storage space for Public Works to expand into the area vacated by the EOC.

While this Project is in the early design phase, it is not too early to consider impacts to Police and Public Works operations resulting from the future contractor’s staging area and construction operations. Options #1, #2, or #3 would isolate the expansion to one fenced-off construction area along the parking spaces along Junipero; however, Option #4 would also require construction operations all along the south side of the Police building and construction vehicle access from Torres Street; thus, a temporary public lobby may be required from either the north side of the building or in an adjacent, temporary trailer.  

The four options are tabulated below:

All options have distinct advantages and disadvantages as follows:

If Option #3 or #4 is selected by Council, Kasavan Architects’ professional services agreement will need to be amended at a future date due to the increase in the scope of the design effort. Additional tasks, a fee increase, and schedule impacts, if any, would be negotiated prior to a change order being presented to Council for approval. At this time, it does not appear that Options #1 or #2 would trigger a scope and fee increase for the architect beyond supporting this schematic alternatives evaluation.

Funding for this Capital Improvement Project was initially appropriated at $250,000 in Account 13-74907 using Measure D funds. No additional funding is being requested at this time. However, depending on the Option selected for the building renovation and expansion, supplemental funding for additional design and construction appears to range from an additional $600,000 for Option #1 to approximately $2,350,000 for Option #4. 

Once a conceptual Option is selected by Council and design progresses to establish a more accurate cost estimate, staff will return with a budget augmentation for this capital improvement project.

Please note that interior renovations of older buildings assume risk of differing site conditions, such as encountering additional asbestos, mold, and/or Building Code violations in existing walls and ceilings. Also, building contractors who struggled during the Great Recession are now spread thin with numerous renovation projects that were deferred during the recession. Thus, bid prices for renovations in recent years are now significantly higher than seen during the recession. To minimize risk of very high bid prices, this Project will be extensively advertise for bids, and non-urgent ancillary items, such as roof repairs and exterior painting, will be optional items and awarded only if the overall bid is within the established budget.  

On May 2, 2017, the City Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2017/18 Capital Improvement Program Budget which allocated $250,000 from Measure D revenue for the Police Department Renovation Project.

On August 8, 2017, Council authorized a Professional Services Agreement with Kasavan Architects for design and construction support services for the Project with a fee not-to-exceed $111,650 and up to an additional 10% of the fee, $11,165, for unforeseen additional technical services.