HomeMy WebLinkAboutFEBRUARY 18,1997
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CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS ARE TAPE RECORDED AND ON FILE IN TIlE OFFlCE OF TIlE CITY CLERK
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ROLL CALL
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1.
REPORT -
RENOVATION!
EXPANSION &
NEW POUCE
FACILITY
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MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA
ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING
FEBRUARY 18, 1997
The City Council met in an Adjourned Regular Meeting on Tuesday, February 18, 1997 at
6:00 p.m, in the Conference Room of the Council Chambers.
PRESENT:
ABSENT:
Councilmembers Harbicht, Young and Kuhn
Councilmember Chang (arrived at 6:15 p,m.) and Councilmember
Kovacic (arrived at 6:07 p,m,)
It was MOVED by Councilmember Young, seconded by Mayor Kuhn and CARRIED to
EXCUSE the absence of Councilmembers Chang and Kovacic.
Consideration of the October 9,1996 report and presentation of the physical condition of
the Arcadia Police facility, The existing Police facility was originally constructed in 1956
with a life expectancy of fifty years, At that time the department was comprised of thirty
(30) sworn officers and five (5) civilian employees to serve an Arcadia population of
23,000. Currently, the Police Department consists of seventy-three (73) sworn police
officers and twenty-seven (27) full-time civilian employees who are responsible for
enforcing federal, state and local laws to provide public safety for over 50,000 Arcadians.
In 1956 the construction of Arcadia's police facility was considered state-()f-the-art. The
existing facility is approximately 28,000 square feet including accessory buildings, with
the exception of the storage buildings, The Police Department is using two of the former
Armory buildings for storage.
In 1985 H. Wendell Mounce & Associates were retained by the City to design a master
plan for a civic center, which included a police facility. Mounce & Associates
recommended increasing the police building's 14,800 square feet to 36,500 square feet
and a support area of 10,250 square feet to adequately plan for space needs to the year
2005, In 1995 Construction Controls Group and City staff projected a need of 35,000
square feet, plus 10,000 square feet of support area, The inadequacies of the present
police facility are more than overcrowding, There are the requirements of the American
with Disabilities Act (ADA), issues of asbestos removal, absence of smoke alarms and fire
sprinklers, insufficient electrical capacity to accommodate current computer systems and
future technological advances, seismic retrofit needs, ergonomic considerations,
inadequate security protection for staIf, female officer requirements, jail upgrades, and
state and federal mandates which must be addressed. This plus the fact that the national
space standard for police departments is now 300 square feet per full-time employee;
mandates for housing prisoners; hazardous materials and evidence storage areas; and the
need for bullet resistance glass to protect police personnel and the public; electronic
communications; and separate facilities for male and female police officers.
The current facility has been open 24-hours a day, seven days a week for more than forty
(40) years and was never expected to house nearly 100 personnel, plus a staIf of reserve
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officers and volunteers exceeding 150 individuals. The October 9, 19% sUlff report lists
the many inadequacies of the current building, and future needs of the department.
City Manager, William Kelly, presented a brief summary of the report of the sUlff
committee which was formed to research and present to the City Council, a potential plan,
facility site and financing options for the renovation and expansion of the existing police
facility or new construction, The City Manager stated in part, that a rebuild and
expansion of the existing facility with furnishings was estimated to cost between $7-$8
million with furnishings, The figure for construction of a new police facility was
estimated at $20 million with furnishings, ' The first question for council to answer was,
remodel and expand or construct a new facility? The second question... if a new facility is
to be constructed, where should it be placed? Three civic center sites were presented, one
of which was the former Armory site, The third question to be answered... the matter of
financing the project, The sUlff report listed financing options such as: Savings. which
are represented by reserve funds that remain available after expenditures are paid during
the fiscal year. The amount available at the end ofFY 1996-97, $12,900,000; Recurring
Revenues of $1,500,000 which could be available annually, with an additioual $300,000
from the Redevelopment Agency each year for repayment of interest to the City; Outside
Sources. external contributions and debt. A brief description of City revenue sources to
fund a police facility project is included in the October 9, 1996 sUlff report.
The City Manager introduced the team he had appointed to assess the physical condition
of the Police Department facility and to explore alternatives for its improvement: Police
Lt. Rudy Blum; Planning Services Manager, Corchran Nicholson; Cindy Rowe,
Community Relations Officer; and, Gerald Parker, City TreasurerlFinancial Services
Manager. Chief of Police Garner and other police personnel were involved in the
development of the sUlff report also, Ms, Rowe presented an overview of the report and
Lt. Blum and Mr, Nicholson presented slides of the past and present Arcadia police
facilities, Mr, Parker presented financing options.
Following staffs presentation considerable discussion ensued. Mayor Pro tern Harbicht
expressed concern of the estimate given for renovation and expansion of the existing
police facility of $7 to $8 million, while construction of a new facility was estimated to be
$20 million. His thought was, why build a new building for $20 million when renovation
and expansion of the existing building for $7 to $8 million would produce the same thing.
Captain Sandona explained the major difference in these numbers is the jail facility,
which is very costly to build and must comply with state requirements, Mr, Nicholson
noted also it would be prohibitive to increase the size of the existing jail because of its
solid concrete construction, Mayor Pro tern Harbicht noted he has always been in favor of
a new police facility, in which case the existing facility could be utilized by City Hall
operations to alleviate crowded conditions at City Hall.
Councilmember Kovacic noted that underutilized buildings in town might be used to
house police activities off-site, or possibly a portion of Fire Station No. 2 could be used.
He asked police staff if any of their functions could be conducted off-site and still be
efficient. Staff said storage, dispatch, and some crime prevention programs could be off-
site. Police Chief Garner commented that most of the functions need to be at one location
to be most efficient and cost effective,
Councilmember Young noted that employees of the Maintenance Services Department,
which is now located in Chicago Park, go back and forth within the City and to City Hall,
and have now moved some of their functions to a water facility. Moving police functions
off-site would not be the most efficient way for the police department to operate.
Council member Young noted alSo that the Armory site was origiually purchased from the
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state for a new police station, This location was one of the sites presented by staff as a
possible location for a new police building,
A discussion centered on operations of the City jail ensued, Captain Sandona noted that it
is not unusual to have ten to fifteen prisoners in the jail on a Monday morning. The jail
houses 3,000 prisoners annually. He noted also that if Arcadia's jail complied with state
facility requirements, the City could actually sell jail space to house in-custody prisoners
from other cities. Arcadia has such an agreement with the City of Monrovia, In response
to Councilmember Kovacic, he noted that other cities in the valley which have shared jails
have gone to privatization of their jails, Further, the cities of Baldwin Park and
Westminster have outside contractors, and Alhambra is considering this also, Chief
Gamer cOmmented that Arcadia's jail is not up to state standards for privatization.
Referring to the possibility of designing a new police station which would serve the
community for the next 40 to 50 years, Mayor Pro tern Harbicht stated in part that the City
might offer jail services to Monrovia, Sierra Madre and San Marino as a holding facility
and transport to the County jail. Mayor Kuhn and Councilmember Chang were opposed
to this idea,
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The discussion turned to possible financing of a police facility, new or refurbished, Mr.
Parker reported unrestricted funds ofS12,9 million are currently available for a renovation
and expansion project. However, if these funds are used other capital projects in the five-
year program would be delayed. Revenues from Santa Anita Race Track of $1,5 million
annually are recorded in the Capital Outlay Fund. These are the only revenue sources
currently available to fund Capital Outlay, Facilities Construction and the Equipment
Replacement Funds,
The project could be paid for by issuance of debt by the City. A bond issue would require
a two-thirds majority vote of City voters in order to pass and assess property owners in the
City, A bond issue could be paid back over a twenty (20) year period of time. Based on
$300,000 of assessed valuation this would cost the property owner $100 to $200 a year,
Over a thirty (30) year period the yearly assessment would be less. Certificates of
Participation would also require voter approval. The payback for this financing option
would have to come from future revenues,
Mayor Pro tern Harbicht said he rejects using City savings which would use up all
unencumbered savings. Also, as mentioned in the staff report, setting aside recurring
revenues for thirteen (13) years would mean the police station could not be built until
then.., Council cannot wait thirteen (13) years before doing something about this facility.
He believes the money has to be borrowed and City voters should make that decision. The
people of Arcadia are very concerned about crime and very pleased with the level of
protection they receive, He believes a bond issue would be saleable to the voters.
Councilmember Chang stated that a new police building is the ultimate way to solve the
problem, He stated available funds of $1 million could be taken from the Emergency
Fund, for example; and, $1.5 million borrowed one time from the Capital Outlay Fund;
also $17.5 million for a general obligation bond to finance the balance. This would be one
way of financing a new facility and reducing the burden to Arcadia citizens,
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The discussion returned to the $7-$8 million estimate for renovation and expansion of the
police facility and new construction at $20 million. The figures were again questioned by
Council. The City Manager explained the process utilized by staff in arriving at these
figures; other cities were surveyed; police facilities were visited, etcetera. The City
Manager advised that the estimates were provided. by the architect of the Monrovia Police
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Department renovation after their bond issue failed to pass voter approval, The figures for I
Arcadia were the result of architectural studies; engineering and feasibility studies and
cost 1ludies, He advised also that the Monrovia project cost $3 million, without the jail.
Councilmember Chang noted that the staff report listed a complete renovation of the
existing police facility, including the jail, would cost between $8 and $9 million, The
report said nothing about an expansion. Mayor Pro tern HaIbichl, Mayor Kuhn and
Councilmember Kovacic said they had questions about this also, Councilmember Kovacic
said they cannot ignore the possibility that the figures were for renovation only because of
the way the report was written.
Mayor Pro tern HaIbicht felt whether it is renovation or new construction he could not
believe either of the figures. The City Manager noted the figures were based on a square
foot basis of new stations built in other cities, and since a new station for Arcadia has not
yet been designed these figures are rough estimates only.
Mayor Pro tern Harbicht said he was not ready to say whether he wants to go to an
expansion of the existing police facility or a new facility until he is comfortable with the
sets of numbers and that the same measuring stick is used for both the renovation and new
construction,
Referring back to the discussion of bond financing, Councilmember Young felt that a
consultant should be retained if the Council decides to place a bond issue on a ballot. She
noted that the School district bond issue would not have passed without the consultant.
He did a fantastic job, The City Manager commented that the City would need a
minimum of twelve (12) months to sell a bond issue correctly... others would be involved
in the process, including Arcadia residents,
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In conclusion the City Manager said staff will prepare additional estimates to tie down the
issue of renovation/expansion of the existing police facility and bring these numbers to
Council at a future date,
ADJOURNMENT The Adjourned Regular Meeting ADJOURNED sine die at 7:00 p.m,
ATTEST:
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