New home for Durham Police will cost more
DURHAM (WTVD) -- Talk about sticker shock. The Durham city council learned Thursday that its future police headquarters will cost $18.5 million more than expected.
The original budget earmarked $62.4 million for construction and equipment. The architecture firm assigned to the project tried to brace the council for an anticipated $80.9 million dollar budget.
The majority of the cost will cover additional square footage, more parking, security features including bulletproof glass, and the construction of a deeper foundation at the planned site.
"Big number!" said councilman Steve Schewel in response to the new price tag.
The public outcry to save the Carpenter Chevrolet building currently at the site on East Main street convinced the architecture firm to offer several design options that include the longtime car dealership.
Preserving the building and incorporating it into the final design will cost an additional $3.9 million. The building was erected in the 1920s. If it's included in the final design of the new headquarters, it will be restored to its original brick exterior.
"There are some significant costs. It's built in a time when we didn't have air condition systems," explained Kevin Montgomery, President and Chief Operating Officer at O'Brien /Atkins Associates. "It wasn't built like a warehouse. I think a lot of people compare saving something like this to the American Tobacco campus. It's not quite like that."
The city design team also made cost saving suggestions that include keeping some police divisions off-campus instead of housing them all in the same building. The city council has yet to decide on a final design plan.
Construction of the new headquarters is expected to start in 2016. The building is set to open in 2018.
