Title
A resolution authorizing the acquisition of certain property and the acceptance of a donation of certain property, which together shall serve as the future site of the City of Colorado Springs Police Department Sand Creek Substation
Body
From:
Peter Carey, Chief of Police, Colorado Springs Police Department
Summary:
The proposed resolution authorizes the acquisition of certain vacant property from its current owner 123 Cascade Associates, LLC and the acceptance of a donation of adjacent vacant property from the same owner, which together shall serve as the future site of a new Colorado Springs Police Department Sand Creek Substation.
Previous Council Action:
On November 25, 2014, City Council approved the 2015 Budget. The Sand Creek Substation Replacement Project budget in 2015 is $662,000.
Background:
The current Sand Creek Substation was built in 1988 and opened for service in 1989. Since the substation opening, it has been necessary to increase the number of Patrol Officers, Patrol Support Officers, and civilian Community Services Officers who work out of this facility to properly respond to the total number of calls for service generated in the southeast quadrant of Colorado Springs.
Despite multiple internal reconfigurations and remodels of the existing facility, this building cannot adequately accommodate the 143 sworn and civilian employees, or any additional personnel CSPD assigns to that location due to operational needs. A vertical expansion to the one-story, brick building is not structurally feasible and a horizontal expansion, if economically supportable, would come at the cost of reducing existing parking spaces.
Internally, current staffing levels forced the department to convert a large office into a male locker room annex. This locker room annex can house approximately 33 employees. There is no available space to add a female locker room annex should the need arise; and only one locker space is currently available for additional female employees. The locker rooms are critical for proper donning and doffing of uniforms and to provide suitable equipment storage. The three-block holding cell area is inadequate to comply with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) standard of segregating male, female, and juvenile detainees for their safety and welfare. Arresting officers have two unfavorable options during processing: securing non-violent detainees in unlocked interview rooms with alarms on the doors, or maintaining a constant guard prior to transport to the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center. Both options increase the opportunity for detainees to attempt an escape and present a safety and risk factor to the officers and detainees.
The one motor/maintenance bay does not provide for optimum preventive vehicle maintenance and repairs. Frequently, vehicles must be transported to the Police Operations Center for servicing which increases vehicle downtime. A two-bay configuration would be adequate, however, a three-bay configuration would be ideal to house two vehicle hydraulic lifts and one wheel alignment machine similar to the bays at the Police Operations Center and the Stetson Hills Substation.
The present Sand Creek building is situated in a low lying area, approximately 6,000 feet in elevation, and is prone to sporadic water seepage due to poor drainage. In recent years, the sewer main has twice backed up into the facility requiring a shutdown of operations while major remediation efforts were undertaken to mitigate hazardous human waste and potential mold.
The Sand Creek Subdivision can be compared to the Gold Hill Subdivision. Sand Creek and Gold Hill account for 28.95% and 32.90% of the police department’s calls for service, respectively. The operations tempo in both divisions is nearly identical. In 2014, Sand Creek responded to 21,371 priority 1 calls and Gold Hill responded to 20,692 priority 1 calls. Sand Creek had more than twice the number of detainees as Gold Hill: 1,749 to 868.
Staffing in each substation is very similar (Sand Creek has 143 employees and Gold Hill has 149 employees); however, Gold Hill has 90.4% more building square footage; 85.1% more acreage; three times more holding cell capacity with the ability to support simultaneous male, female, and juvenile detainees; and twice the number of motor/maintenance bays to support vehicle repairs. Gold Hill also has 24.1% more city and employee vehicle parking capacity and more than twice the amount of visitor/citizen parking than Sand Creek. Sand Creek employees and citizens routinely park their personal vehicles on the street due to the limited number of parking spaces in designated parking lots. Clearly, the existing structure and amenities of the Sand Creek Substation are stretched to the limit in supporting the ever expanding law enforcement mission and operational tempo of the assigned sworn and civilian personnel.
Finally, since opening in 1989, the property adjacent to the east of Sand Creek was subsequently occupied by the Atlas Preparatory School with an enrollment of 550 children. School bus traffic and school children’s athletic activities adjoin the substation throughout the day. Relocation to a new site would decrease the heavy police and citizen vehicular traffic around the Atlas Preparatory School and make for a safer environment for the school children.
Construction of an expanded facility located on the proposed site would best serve the interests of the Sand Creek Substation, the law enforcement mission of the Colorado Springs Police Department, and the City of Colorado Springs at large.
The proposed parcels of land will meet all criteria deemed necessary to be responsive to our citizens. The new location is ideally suited for police operations and citizen support. The property is located .5 miles northwest of the present Sand Creek Substation and is readily accessible to citizens along Academy Park Loop. Located in the same geographical area, the location provides identical routes of access to and from Fountain and South Academy Boulevards for officers and citizens alike.
The 8.69 acres of property will accommodate a structure that can provide expanded office, report writing, male and female locker rooms, holding cell, equipment storage, parking spaces and expanded community room(s) for use by citizens. The increase from one to two or three vehicle maintenance bays will allow for the installation of a vehicle wheel alignment machine and the possibility of two hydraulic lifts to enhance the efficiency and safety of the preventive maintenance and repair services conducted at the new substation. Employee and citizen vehicle parking will have more than adequate accommodations.
At an elevation of 6,660 feet, the parcels of property should provide adequate drainage and improved waste disposal, and will be enhanced by engineering site preparation and soils compaction.
Financial Implications:
The owner of these parcels of land has agreed to the acquisition price of $760,000 for the vacant real property known as El Paso County Tax Schedule Number 6423306005, which consists of approximately 8.69 acres. The majority of this amount ($662,000) is available in the 2015 project budget. The remaining $100,000 of funding is from 2014 operating savings in the police department that was added to the existing project budget. At no cost to the City, the property owner also intends to convey to the City by donation the vacant real property known as El Paso County Tax Schedule Number 6423306017, which consists of approximately 1.88 acres and is adjacent to the parcel proposed for purchase.
Board/Commission Recommendation:
N/A
Stakeholder Process:
Staff has reviewed other sites and selected the subject property. Staff has initiated the due diligence on the subject property which includes: Title Commitment, appraisal process, and environmental site assessment. All of these services will be completed by closing. Staff has done extensive analysis and has arrived at an acceptable plan for this site.
Alternatives:
The City Council may approve, modify, or deny adoption of the Resolution.
Recommended Action
Proposed Motion:
Move for adoption of the Resolution.
Ordinance Language
N/A