The Sedona Police Department is experiencing growing pains within its facility — something it’s dealt with for quite some time. But over the next few years, that’s expected to change.

City Engineer Andy Dickey said even though no specific design is in place, the plan calls for the remodeling of the existing police station, which will add square footage to the original footprint from the soon-to-bevacant Magistrate’s offices and adjacent courtyard.

“My understanding at this point is that we’d consider a remodeling project,” he said. “I’m not sure in terms of a new facility in the future but right now we’re looking at a remodel, which is significantly less expensive than a
new police station.”

A city report, under the category of project justification, states, “The current police station was never designed as a critical, 24hour public safety facility and does not allow for efficient, effective and safe workflow processes, security of confidential/sensitive documents or work stations, or accommodations for support functions. Since the station opened in 1998, it has been operating as a 24/7 police facility, 365 days per year, which has significantly worn on our facility much more rapidly than an office building with limited hours of operation.”

It goes on to state that police personnel, equipment and work space needs have outgrown the facility design and footprint. The station lacks a proper evidence storage room, interview room, public meeting space, proper storage areas and proper officer work stations. The communications center and evidence storage rooms flood during rains. Of critical importance is the “unsafe factors associated with prisoner detention and processing.”

“It all goes back to fulfilling the needs of that department,” Dickey said. “We’re looking to maximize the efficiency of how that department is run. That’s the feedback we’re hearing. How it is now is not designed to allow them to work efficiently.”

No funding is earmarked for the upcoming fiscal year, but in FY 2020, $655,000 is budgeted for design and construction with another $1.34 million set for construction, equipment and technology the following year. In all, $2,017,394 is set to be spent on modifications to the station.

“Our building was never designed as a police station — it is an office building that we have used in lieu,” SPD Chief David McGill said. “Public safety buildings have many requirements that regular office buildings do not have, thus the cost to build them or remodel them is higher. We have kicked the can down the road for many years, and our police department has functioned well in this building for that time.”

McGill agrees that there are several improvements that need to be made to the station but feels in time they will come to fruition.

“The city leadership does understand the need to replace or remodel the police station, which is very costly, and they have budgeted this over the next several years,” McGill said. “The start date for design has been pushed back to FY20 for some higher priority transportation and traffic projects, and rightly so. We know there is wide support to remodel the current building, and we are very grateful for that.”

Not a New Issue

During the 2014 city budget hearings for capital improvements, former SPD Chief Ray Cota told the council that the police department was in need of a highly renovated or new station. He said they have outgrown the current station, which was built 20 years ago, and that officer safety and work productivity are two of the biggest reasons why a new one is needed.

During the 2013 capital improvement project process, a consultant was brought in and met with the officers and administrators.

The consultant recommended that a new Sedona police department be nearly 20,000 square feet, not including parking. The current facility has 8,000 square feet of office space and another 9,000 square feet of underground parking. Cota said they narrowed down their requirements but the space needed is still about 14,000 square feet, or about the size of the Cottonwood and Camp Verde police stations.

Cota said in order to achieve the space they need, there are only two options — expand the current facility up to a second story or build a new complex. Each would be costly, he said, with the latter carrying a price tag of nearly $8 million at that time. Any kind of second-story remodeling would entail the department moving out to another facility while construction takes place.

Ron Eland can be reached at 282-7795 ext. 122, or email reland@larsonnewspapers.com