Submitted By
Rob Sproule, Public Works Director
Reviewed By
Erin E. Baynes, Assistant to the Village Manager
Agenda Item Title
Title
A Facilitated Discussion on Village Board Goals and Priorities for the Police Station Improvement Project
End
Overview
Overview
The Village Board, Facility Review Committee, and Village staff have identified strategic goals for the Police Station Improvement Project through the Space Needs Assessment and Historic Preservation Evaluation process. This facilitated discussion will assist the Village Board with the affirming and prioritization of those goals in an effort to ensure that the Village Board’s future actions align with their values.
End
Recommendation
Recommendation
Village staff seeks feedback on the goals identified by both the Village Board and the Facility Review Committee. The feedback gathered will be used to inform a Village staff recommendation, based on the Village Board’s priorities identified as part of the facilitated discussion, to be presented at a future Village Board Meeting.
Background
As part of the Space Needs Assessment completed by FGM Architects in 2019 and 2023, the following goals were identified by the Village:
-Bring the building up to date to meet current building code. For this exercise, Village staff would prefer not to rely on a grandfather clause(s) to meet current life safety or accessibility codes. This includes:
Life Safety
• Signage, emergency lighting, fire alarms, fire protection (fire extinguishers and sprinklers), fire egress (protected stairways and fire-rated doors), and fall protection.
• Upgrade electrical and plumbing to meet current life safety standards.
Accessibility and Equity
• Create accessible entry points to all areas of Village Hall that are equitable and dignified for all users (enclosed elevators, equitable points of entry to the building, restrooms, etc.).
• Meet all standards outlined in the Illinois Accessibility Code and Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Add gender neutral restrooms.
Bring the building up to current standards for modern workplaces. This includes:
• Promote wellness and staff retention.
o Additional space is required for all Village Hall functions.
• Improve functionality and quality of workspace.
o Improve noise control, add support spaces (gender neutral restrooms, employee wellness/interfaith spaces, and a lactation room), implement current privacy standards, and consider separate public and staff restrooms.
Update building infrastructure to meet the Village’s sustainability goals. This includes:
• Building envelope (walls, roof, windows, doors, etc.)
o Renovate to meet Illinois Energy Conservation Code
• Mechanical infrastructure
o Replace to meet Illinois Energy Conservation Code and ventilation requirements.
• Electrical infrastructure
o Modernize lighting to meet Illinois Energy Conservation Code.
o Install a whole building backup generator.
• Achieve LEED Gold Certification
Provide a plan to meet identified space requirements.
• Village Hall currently occupies 40,818 square feet but requires 50,030 square feet to meet current programming needs.
• Police Department currently occupies 35,688 square feet but requires 78,112 square feet to meet the operational needs identified in the Berry Dunn report (2022).
Implement modern-day security standards throughout Village Hall and the Council Chambers. This includes:
• Separate public areas from staff areas.
o Integrate CCTV monitoring capabilities at security checkpoint in main lobby.
• Relocate customer service areas off the main lobby.
o Consider ballistic resistance.
o Customer service areas that include adjudication reception, finance department cashier, permit processing reception, neighborhood services reception, and parking and mobility services reception.
• Consider a mechanism to prevent the public from approaching the Dais.
o Consider an escape/shelter area behind dais.
• Increase means of egress from the dais and theater.
In addition to the goals outlined by the Village as part of the Space Needs Assessment, the Facility Review Committee established goals and priorities to guide the project during its meetings and renovation scheme evaluation process. The seven goals and priorities were as follows:
• PLACE OF PRIDE - Village Hall should be a place of pride that is welcoming.
• COST - Village Hall should be a cost-efficient facility.
• POLICE DEPARTMENT - Need new space that meets modern standards for policing. Prefer existing Village Hall site.
• INCLUSION - Any changes should come through a lens of inclusivity and go beyond accessibility code to be welcoming.
• PARKING - Need for additional parking. Existing parking is in high demand.
• SECURITY AND SAFETY - Go beyond life safety and balance the need to provide a secure workplace that also remains open, welcoming, and accessible to the public.
• SUSTAINABILITY - Go beyond the IECC and explore the viability of becoming a Net Zero-Energy Building.
Village Board Priorities, in no particular order, as identified as part of discussion at the April 9, 2024 Village Board meeting:
• Cost
o Detailed cost analysis and value engineering occurs in schematic design phase but direction needs to be provided to move to schematic design.
o Financing options and grant opportunities could inform final decision and the potential financial burden on the community.
• Police Station Prioritization
o Look for ways to move forward with the Police Station while working on a master site plan.
• Expediency
o A phased approach to renovation or reconstruction was favored in an effort to avoid further delay.
Fiscal Impact
The Village Board has had the opportunity to evaluate high-level, conceptual cost estimates associated with various degrees of renovation and redevelopment, including those presented at the April 9, 2024, Village Board meeting by Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects as part of the Facility Review Committee feasibility report. All cost estimates have been projected to account for a Spring 2026 construction. All numbers are estimated order of magnitude costs subject to further refinement based on future scope parameters.
Should the Village Board decide to forego renovation or redevelopment of the Village Hall facility, the Village faces financial obligations in the range of $20m to $40m to maintain the existing facility. These estimated costs do not address the existing space constraints of the facility or advance sustainability, equity or accessibility goals in any meaningful way.
DEI Impact
There are several DEI impacts to consider with the renovation or redevelopment of Village Hall and Police facilities. Internally, the renovation or construction of new facilities creates better work environments and space to ensure maximum efficiency and efficacy to meet staff and public safety needs. Externally, improving the Village Hall facility provides an opportunity to make public-facing spaces inclusive for all visitors; however, marginalized communities may feel a significant investment in a new Police Department facility could impede efforts to rebuild police and community relationships. Overall, improving both the Village Hall and Police Department facilities presents a crucial opportunity for the Village of Oak Park to address accessibility disparities throughout Village Hall and have a Police Department that is better equipped to respond to the many challenges involving public safety.
Alternatives
In July 2023, the Village Board approved a motion to advance the Police Station Improvement Project Option 4, a conceptual design option that proposed rebuilding the current Village Hall Campus with a new Village Civic Center that meets the current and future service needs of the Village, to schematic design (MOT 23-67). Historically, four options were explored as part of the Police Station Improvement Project. Those options, their advantages and disadvantages, and high-level, conceptual cost estimates are provided below.
Option 1: Build a new public-facing Police Station on the current Village Hall campus and renovate the Village Hall basement areas occupied by the Police Department for internal police services, training spaces, and other Village services. $80.2- 83.5M
• Does not address facility issues on the 1st/2nd floor of current Village Hall
• Current cost estimate and design does not address parking issues
• Potential impact to green space at the rear of the Village Hall campus
• Minimal impact to Village services during construction
• Addresses Police space needs
• Does not fully address Village Hall space needs
Option 2: Build a new Police Station on a yet-to-be procured property. $71.0-73.6M
• Requires property acquisition (multiple parcels)
o Cost not identified
o Limited options
• Current cost estimate and design does not address parking issues
• May require remote parking for Police Officer vehicles
• Does not address facility issues at the current Village Hall
• Actual property acquisition may impact building design and police operations
• Decentralization of Village services
• No impact to Village services during construction
• Addresses Police space needs
• Does not address Village Hall space needs (creates opportunity)
Option 3: Build a new Police Station and renovate the Village Hall facility to meet the current and potential future service needs of the Village including, but potentially not limited to, current Village Hall services and facility parking needs. $132.0-138.3M
• Current cost estimate and design addresses parking issues at Village Hall
• May require remote parking for Police Officer vehicles
• Addresses facility issues at the current Village Hall
• The current architecture and design of the building significantly limit the ability to renovate the facility to meet Village Board goals of sustainability, equity, and accessibility.
• Significant renovations to the facility to address building inadequacies will potentially compromise the architecture of the building and come at a premium cost based on the building design and condition.
• Decentralization of Village services.
• Addresses Police space needs
• Addresses Village Hall space needs
Option 4: Redevelopment of the current Village Hall campus with a new Village Civic Center that meets the current and potential future service needs of the Village including, but potentially not limited to, current Village Hall services and Public Safety and facility parking needs. $139.4-144.7M
• Addresses facility parking needs
• Opportunity to more directly engage Madison St. (commercial space development)
• Addresses Police space needs
• Addresses Village Hall space needs
• Best opportunity to address sustainability, ADA, and equity goals.
• Maintains existing green space with greatest potential to increase.
• Requires temporary relocation of Village services (costs not included in estimate)
Previous Board Action
On April 9, 2024, the Facility Review Committee with the support of Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects, Inc. provided a presentation to the Board on the feasibility of renovating Village Hall to meet the needs of modern governance for the Village while maintaining its historic integrity (ID 24-200).
On October 30, 2023, the Village Board approved a Professional Services Agreement with Johnson Lasky Kindelin Architects, Inc. for historic preservation architectural services (RES 23-298). The Village Board also approved a resolution creating a Facility Review Committee for the Oak Park Village Hall Facility Renovation Evaluation Project and appointed its members (RES 23-309).
On July 31, 2023, the Village Board approved an amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with FGM Architects, Inc. for additional conceptual solutions for Village facilities (RES 23-239). The Village Board also directed staff to engage a separate architectural firm with experience in historic preservation to evaluate the viability and cost of renovating the Village Hall facility to meet the goals of the Village.
On July 5, 2023, the Village Board approved a motion to advance the Police Station Improvement Project Option 4 (Rebuild the current Village Hall Campus with a new Village Civic Center that meets the current and potential future service needs of the Village including, but potentially not limited to, current Village Hall services and Public Safety and facility parking needs) to schematic design (MOT 23-67).
On April 24, 2023, the Village Board approved an amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with FGM Architects, Inc. for additional conceptual design options for the Police Station Improvement Project (RES 23-138). At this meeting, the Village Board also approved a task order for Professional Engineering Services with Cordogan Clark & Associates, Inc. to conduct condition assessments and complete energy audits for Village Hall (RES 23-132).
On February 18, 2020, the Village Board approved an Agreement with FGM Architects, Inc. for Architectural and Engineering Schematic Design Services for the Oak Park Police Department in an Amount Not to Exceed $322,600 (RES 20-093).
On November 19, 2018, the Village Board approved an Agreement with FGM Architects, Inc. for a Space Needs Assessment for the Oak Park Police Department in an Amount Not to Exceed $53,680 (RES 18-1050).
On January 22, 2013, the Village Board approved the Historic Preservation Commission’s 2013 Work Plan allowing the Historic Preservation Commission to pursue listing the Oak Park Village Hall building on the National Register of Historic Places. The application was accepted and the building listed on August 25, 2014.
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
N/A
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
At a later date, Village staff will present a recommendation based on the Village Board priorities identified as part of this facilitated discussion.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
N/A