Wanted: Police training center in center city

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by Eric Olson|ret||ret||tab|

SBJ Reporter|ret||ret||tab|

eolson@sbj.net|ret||ret||tab|

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The city of Springfield is asking developers to draw up plans for a new Springfield Police Department training center for center city. City officials opened requests for proposals April 6 and will accept developers' plans until 5 p.m. May 7.|ret||ret||tab|

Immediate needs, they say, are for 15,000 square feet of training space to be used by the Police Department. There is no formal police training center.|ret||ret||tab|

The city is asking that developers' plans have expansion capabilities for 11,200 square feet for a Fire Department training center in a couple of years. In all, city officials estimate more than 50,000 square feet is needed within five years for training by various departments.|ret||ret||tab|

The police training center is restricted to center city, with hopes it would be another piece of the redevelopment puzzle.|ret||ret||tab|

"Each new project is a catalyst for more things to happen downtown," said Mary Lilly Smith, the city's economic development director. "We will only consider the sites in center city. It can be either a redeveloped (building) or a new construction. We don't have a preference which one."|ret||ret||tab|

The general boundaries are Elm, Kimbrough, Tampa and Main surrounding the square, and along Boonville north to Commercial.|ret||ret||tab|

The city would lease the space from the selected developer. It has not identified potential sites. That is up to developers, Smith said.|ret||ret||tab|

Developers will be evaluated on experience, team members, financial capacity and readiness to undertake the redevelopment, according to the city's RFP. The RFP also requires the development "be compatible with the existing center city context and reflect the urban nature of center city."|ret||ret||tab|

City officials understand redevelopment may not be possible based on the center's requirements.|ret||ret||tab|

"A lot of these buildings will accommodate housing, but they will not accommodate a self-defense gymnasium and an auditorium," said Bill Weaver, city planner. "If it absolutely has to be new construction because there is nothing that would work, we would expect it to fit the urban landscape and we would expect it to encourage more development downtown because of its presence. That would be the tradeoff."|ret||ret||tab|

Proposals should include a computer lab, three classrooms, a 100-seat auditorium, full-court gym with locker rooms and a situation training room. Office and administration needs require 10 offices, copy and supply areas, break room, library/conference room and audio/video room. Developer proposals should be delivered to the Planning and Development Department in the Busch Municipal Building, 840 Boonville.|ret||ret||tab|

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Cramped quarters|ret||ret||tab|

Springfield Police Department holds class sessions on the second floor of old City Hall in a room that seats up to 40 officers, said Matt Brown, public information officer for the Police Department. That space is cramped at times, he said.|ret||ret||tab|

For physical training, officers use a basement gym at department headquarters on Chestnut, which Brown said is soon to be lost due to renovations. An interior and exterior remodel of the building, for which a beginning date is not determined, converts the full-court gym to half court and extends locker rooms to the other half. Brown said the locker rooms are "grossly undersized."|ret||ret||tab|

"Not only are they working in cramped quarters, but here in a couple of weeks (due to renovations) they won't have a physical location to conduct their physical training exercises," Brown said.|ret||ret||tab|

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