Board asks for larger police facility expansion

by Susan O'Neill

            Plans to move forward with a police facility expansion were delayed on Tuesday when the Sugar Grove Village Board asked for a plan with additional space.

            The 1,600-square-foot expansion plan included an enlarged garage, or sally port, additional secured reception area and lobby space, expanded office space and new locker rooms for officers. Architects Cordogan, Clark & Associates, Inc. and Williams Architects drew up the plan with a budget not to exceed $500,000.

            “It certainly is not grandiose, but it meets the needs we have for expansion,” Village Administrator Brent Eichelberger said.

            The enlarged sally port would allow a police car to fully enter the building and secure the area before bringing a prisoner out of the vehicle. The glass-enclosed reception area would provide additional security for police administrative staff.

            The current office space has two to three officers sharing one desk, and officers write their reports in what is also the lunch room. The additional office space would give officers and investigators more room, as well as a quiet space in which to complete reports.

            But several board members thought the plan was too short-sighted and did not leave room for additional future growth of the department.

            “It looks like we only designed this to get by,” trustee Mary Heineman said. “I wish that we had thought a little bit ahead to accommodate some growth.”

            Eichelberger explained that village staff established the $500,000 budget because the facility expansion is only a temporary solution.

            The Police Department currently shares a facility with village hall. Four years ago, with the housing market strong and growing in Sugar Grove, the Village Board initiated plans for a new police facility to serve a population of 50,000, which could be expanded to serve 100,000 people. The Village Hall would be a separate building, with construction to take place after the police facility was finished.

            These plans were modified and eventually put on hold in November 2007, when the economy and the housing slow-down affected Sugar Grove's growth projections significantly.

            While trustee Mari Johnson agreed that the expansion is a temporary measure, she said she saw village staff remaining in this building for the next five years.

            “I think going with what we've got now is insufficient planning,” Johnson said. “I hate to see us just build it for our current use.”

            As the board grappled with ways to reconfigure the floor plan, Village President Sean Michels asked if building the new locker rooms was a good use of the money.

            Police Chief Brad Sauer assured him it was. He said that currently, the police officers store their personal items in what amounts to cubbies, and their coats and other items are stored in the shower room.

            Staff will work with the architects to come up with a revised plan with additional space.

09/05/2008