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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL TOWN MEETING 2016 -5 SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 tion Schematic Design Study from 2011, and will evaluate the feasibility of siting a new police station at either 171 -173 Bedford St or within the Center municipal complex. Many years ago, Town officials initiated a process to address the deficiencies of our public safety facili- ties. In 1993, the Lexington Public Buildings Facility Study called out modernization and expansion is- sues at the Police and Fire Stations. In 2000, the Space /Buildings Needs Advisory Committee Report iden- tified the buildings' shortcomings and recommended renovations and additions. Under Article 2 of this Special Town Meeting, real property located at 171 -173 Bedford St is proposed to be purchased for use as swing space during the reconstruction of the Headquarters Fire Station. In light of this potential purchase, the Board of Selectmen is requesting a study to provide information pertinent to a future decision on whether a new police station should be built at the 171 -173 Bedford St. site or the site of the existing Police Station. If the ultimate decision is to locate the new station at the site of the current Police Station, 171 -173 Bedford St. could be used for swing space during construction of the police sta- tion. After a new police station is completed, whichever site was not used may be made available for use by the School Department or another municipal department. If no further use was envisioned for 171 -173 Bedford Street, it could be re -sold as described in our discussion of Article 2. The 2011 Lexington Police Station Schematic Design Study was conducted by Donham and Sweeney Architects (DSA) and concluded that "due to modernization and updates to the Massachusetts Building and Life Safety Codes and the enactment of accessibility legislation since the facility was originally constructed, a major work project undertaken on the building would expose serious Building Code, Life Safety Code and Accessibility Code deficiencies. Its heating, ventilating, air - conditioning, and electrical systems are past their expected useful life, are inefficient and we believe should be replaced. The Police Station, in addition, is greatly undersized for its present occupancies and uses." The 206 page DSA study noted that, since the Police Station was built, Lexington's population has in- creased 37 %, the number of police responses has increased 113 %, and the number of full -time equivalent Police Department staff has increased 72 %. The existing space in the station has been modified on multiple occasions to accommodate new functions including: • Combined E -911, dispatch and EOC, with a minimum of 2 full -time dispatchers per shift • Juvenile cell • Women's lockers • Cadet program • Parking enforcement • Animal control • Crossing guards • Special police officers • Physical fitness • Emergency generator • Specialized vehicular equipment A tour of the station quickly illustrates the lack of space for storage of equipment, evidence, abandoned property, archives and operational files. Space for training, prisoner processing, and workstations for pa- trol officers is inadequate. Emergency generators that, when operating, consume air at a large rate are lo- cated in the same space as crucial electronic equipment that requires conditioned air for climate control. Charging stations for batteries and potentially combustible power packs are adjacent to critical operation centers of the station. Locker rooms are small and cramped, and exercise space is nonexistent. The goal of the DSA study was to anticipate needs for a station that would serve the needs of the Police Department for at least the next 20 -25 years. DSA's space needs analysis included interviews with staff 8