Police, Fire, and City Center Options

Today was the latest public round of discussions on our building needs for city, police, and fire offices, and the presentation of four options, including three that would require a general obligation bond this fall.

I welcome the sufficiently interested to comb through the data that has been collected: here and here.

For everyone else I have distilled this information down to what I think is the most important. As you read, please keep in mind the questions I have for you: What would you like the Council to know over the next 6 weeks as we decide if a bond should be on the ballot, and which option we should pursue? And what information do you need to make an informed decision about the bond?

Here are the top three reasons that we need to do something.

1. Since the old City Center was built (1972), the population of Provo has doubled and is projected to continue to increase. We currently have half the space that we need. The police department is working out of closets and converted their shooting range into evidence storage.
2. A majority of the City Center and Police & Fire head quarters have not been structurally updated since the 70's. A moderate earthquake would likely collapse the building, significantly inhibiting our emergency response.
3. The old, well-worn buildings are getting more expensive to maintain, and makes the delivery of city services to our residents less efficient and more costly. This investment now is the most cost effective and will pay dividends in the long-run, both in terms of tax dollars and quality of city services.

Here is a summary of the four options.

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View of current soffits

Option 0: Do Nothing

Age of Buildings: 46 years

Office Space: 64,000 sqft

Bond Amount*: $10M

Annual Cost/Taxpayer**: $20

Notes: Doesn't solve space needs.

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Concept of building facade after remodel

Option 1: Move to the Mall

Age of Buildings: 20 years

Office Space***: 135,000 sqft

Bond Amount*: $44.5M

Annual Cost/Taxpayer**: $87

Notes: Would buy/remodel Sears Building.

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Example of a similarly sized public safety building

Option 2: New PSB/Rebuild CC

Age of Buildings: 0/46 years

Office Space***: 135,000 sqft

Bond Amount*: $45.5M

Annual Cost/Taxpayer**: $89

Notes: Rehab good for 20+ more years

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Previous rendering of City Center block

Option 3: New PSB/New CC

Age of Buildings: 0 years

Office Space***: 135,000 sqft

Bond Amount*: $59.7M

Annual Cost/Taxpayer**: $107

Notes: Would save on ongoing costs.

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*Includes $4.5M for the rebuild of Fire Station 2.
**Property tax increase on a median home ($265K).
***Kept level for comparison purposes.