St. Charles officials will move forward with building a new police facility, a proposal they have discussed for more than a year.
On Feb. 6, aldermen voted 8-2 to hire Oak Brook-based FGM Architects to design the facility and oversee construction.
The city will pay FGM 8 percent of total project cost, which city officials estimate will be $1,443,690. The City Council budgeted $1,500,000 for the project.
Mayor Ray Rogina said the contract with FGM will not take effect until the City Council approves a location for the new police facility. He urged aldermen to make that decision soon because the potential interest rate for a bond issue to fund project could go up if the city waits too long.
The aging, U-shaped police facility on North Riverside Avenue in downtown St. Charles is composed of several different structures the city built over the years. City officials said it would need more than $1.5 million in upgrades to keep it serviceable.
Aldermen have considered two possible sites for a new police facility: property the city owns on Red Gate Road and Route 31, and the vacant Valley Shopping Center site on West Main Street. In addition to paying construction costs, the city would have to purchase the Valley Shopping Center site and pay for building demolition and environmental remediation there.
During a special meeting of the Government Services Committee on Jan. 23, city officials recommended the city-owned Red Gate property as a more practical choice for the new police facility but they also want the city to have a smaller downtown station to maintain police presence there.
Council awards $25,000 business incentive
Also at the City Council meeting Feb. 6, aldermen unanimously approved a $25,000 business and economic incentive award for Dean Courser, owner of the building located at 122 W. Main St., site of the former Vertical Drop space.
Courser will use the award to help pay for upgrades to the western portion of the space to facilitate the occupancy of the new Stanbridge Master Saddlers tenant. Those improvements include HVAC system modernization, installation of new electricity and lighting required by the fire code, and drywall and suspended ceiling construction to finish the conversion into two separate tenant units.
Courser applied for a Tier 2 Commercial Corridor and Downtown Business Economic Incentive Program Award that exceeds the $10,000 Tier 1 limit. The total cost of the building improvements is $88,490, and the city’s $25,000 share reflects the program maximum.