Preliminary plans for a joint police and fire station at the River City Hall site on Camino del Rio include a three-story facility and a total building space of 63,000 square feet, as discussed at a public meeting at the Powerhouse Science Center Thursday evening.
The city of Durango and Durango Fire Protection District held the meeting to share progress on the feasibility study that seeks to determine if River City Hall is the proper location for a joint downtown police and fire station.
Photos and informational materials were propped up on easels with sticky notes at hand around the Powerhouse for the public to review and submit comments, questions and concerns during an open house following a presentation by DHM Design’s Lee Petty and Ann Christensen.
Likewise, members of DFPD and Durango Police Department, including Fire Chief Hal Daughty and Police Chief Bob Brammer, were on standby to answer questions about the joint fire and police station project and speak to the needs of both agencies.
DHM Design’s presentation revisited basic details about the project such as why the River City Hall location is being examined and potential challenges to developing there, such as the fact that the site is on a flood plain and other environmental factors that must be taken into consideration. But some new information was released during the meeting as well, including the general size of the planned building.
The building as proposed would house both DFPD and Durango Police Department and would include shared space such as a break room, training facilities and parking, Petty said.
Current design ideas imagine the building would occupy 63,000 square feet; the fire department’s part of the building would take up 27,000 square feet, a significant upgrade from DFPD’s current downtown fire station that utilizes just 9,000 square feet of space, according to Petty’s presentation.
The police department presently occupies about 14,500 square feet and the proposed building would grant more space for evidence storage and evidence examination, two areas in which the police department is hamstrung as a result of cramped quarters.
Brammer, the police chief, said officers processing evidence at the police department must do so in a small room without proper ventilation. DHM Design’s presentation used fentanyl as one example of a dangerous substance that officers come into contact with in an inadequate space.
He said the current department building relies on restroom facilities that are used by suspects, those in custody and officers alike, which presents a danger to officers.
He said earlier this week a female suspect needed to use the restroom and officers did not follow her into the lavatory, and she attempted an escape by climbing into a space in the ceiling and scrambling through the rafters.
Administrative offices are adjacent to chambers occupied by victims or suspects, and it is easy to overhear conversations through the walls, at times exposing staff to the traumas of law enforcement investigations and processes.
The proposed building would accommodate long-term growth and expansion of not only the fire department but police operations as well, Petty said.
The building could be up to three stories tall with underside parking and second- and third-story parking, although plans are not definitive, he said.
DFPD shares River City Hall with city employees, and attendees asked where those people would go, as well as where Station 2 staff would go during construction of the joint police and fire building.
Christensen said a new location for city employees displaced by the potential project remains under discussion. The Durango School District 9-R Administration Building on 12th Street and East Second Avenue, which DFPD purchased in December, could serve as a temporary home for Station 2 crews.
Acquisition of a parcel that neighbors Backcountry Experience has also been discussed, although that also remains under talks, she said.
Marc Masor, Powerhouse board member, said he heard positive and concerning things at the meeting Thursday. Mention of potential shared classroom space between the Powerhouse and the prospective fire and police building was good news, he said. But he questions comments about how the development could “enhance” the Animas River Trail that runs along the west side of River City Hall.
He is also concerned about parking and encroachment on Powerhouse territory during development of the River City Hall site.
Regarding potential new classroom space, he said, “Science education is one of our primary objectives. If we’re going to continue to grow, that's something we need.”
He said after the MakerLab, a metals fabrication facility, moved out of the Powerhouse earlier this year, more classroom space became available and instantly maxed out in capacity. The Powerhouse’s summer camps have also grown in attendance in recent years, which means the more classroom space the organization can secure, the better.
Sarah Kelly, a Durango-area resident and a scientist specializing in air quality, said the need for a new fire and police station was clearly demonstrated Thursday night. She said the agencies are 10 years overdue for new facilities. But, she shares the Powerhouse’s concerns.
“I’m hoping there can be some common ground,” she said. “What do kids like? What are kids excited about? They love firemen. They love policemen. And they love science and art.”
Project costs have not yet been determined. The meeting’s intent was to update the public on how analysis of the River City Hall site is proceeding, as well as to provide updates about what the site might look like. The next public meeting is scheduled for January.
cburney@durangoherald.com
An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect square footage for the proposed building at River City Hall that would house the police and fire departments.
