STEELE CREEK NEWS
New Police Station
to be Accessible and Environmentally Friendly
(March 10,
2011) Captain Allan Rutledge,
Steele Creek Division Commander,
and the building project manager and architectural team presented
plans for the
new division police station at a community meeting this week. The
new station will be on the southwest corner of South Tryon Street
and Westinghouse Boulevard in the heart of Steele Creek.
The brick and
polished concrete building will be at the northeast corner of the lot, facing
the intersection. Gated staff parking will be behind the building
and a 26-space visitor parking lot will be on the left side, The
rendering above shows how the building will look, except that public
art will be added to the front. The community will have the
opportunity to have input on the choice of an artist and the design.
The intent is to have a piece of art that reflects the history and
character of the community.
Captain Rutledge
expects the new station to be a catalyst for development in the
area. They plan to be a good neighbor. Having the station on the
corner near the streets will make it more visible and accessible to
the community.
The current division
office is located in the old Police Academy Building off Shopton
Road between South Tryon Street and Beam Road. It is hidden
back from the road and surrounded by a security fence. Most Steele
Creek residents probably do not know that it is back there. The new
station will be prominently located on one of the busiest
intersections in Steele Creek. People will know that the local
police are part of the community and do not drive in from some
outside location.
The new site is more
centrally located in the 62 square mile division and will make it
easier for officers to get to the far southern edges of Steele Creek
quickly, but it is more distant from the areas in the northeast part
of the division where most of the calls come from. At some point in
the future, police divisions will be reorganized and the
northeastern part of the division likely will be removed from the
division.
As currently
designed, the building will qualify for a
Leadership and Energy Environmental Design (LEED) Green
Building Rating of Silver, but the designers hope to achieve a Gold
rating. It will have spots reserved for solar panels, underground
geothermal wells for heat exchange in the heating and cooling
system, and other sustainable features.
The site will feature
new trees along the street and screening trees around the parking
areas. A small tree save area is located in the back corner of the
site. Many of the trees selected to be planted on the site will be
maples or other types that will eventually be large mature trees.
The building will be just under 12,500 square feet. The floor
plan will be similar to that of other stations that have opened in
Charlotte recently. It will feature a lobby and other public areas,
a fitness room, men's and women's locker rooms, a roll call room, various
offices, and bull pen areas with officers' work space. The project
also includes a canopy, listed as an alternate in the design
package, along the back of the building for shift changes.
The site plan makes
use of the entire 3-acre site with the building, parking, buffers
and other landscaping, and other features.
The anticipated
building cost is $3.3 million, and the total cost of the project
will be $7 million, which includes the building and site design,
land purchase, construction cost, and other professional services.
The building is expected to go out for bids in May. The construction
contract is expected to go before City Council for approval on July
25, and construction should start approximately 30 days after that.
The building should be ready for the Steele Creek Division to move
in around Fall 2012.
For more information
on this project, contact: Kathleen Drake Engineering and
Property Management Project Manager at 704-432-5214 or
kdrake@charlottenc.gov
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