Hoffman board gets virtual tour of new police station

The trip from a squad car's back seat to the holding cell can be an adventure in Hoffman Estates.

After pulling into a secured garage, a police officer has to lead the handcuffed arrestee up 20-plus stairs - a sometimes dangerous journey with the larger, more unruly drunks.

That will change early next summer, when Hoffman Estates' $28 million police station opens - complete with a main-floor lockup.

"I think we've captured the vision of what we imagine a modern police facility to look like," Police Chief Clint Herdegen said, adding that the bond department will be separated from civilians.

Construction on the new station at Higgins Road and Spring Mill Drive began in October and the foundation is laid. This week, the village board got a virtual tour of the station and surrounding grounds. Overall feedback was favorable, aside from seating in the hallway that leads from the entrance to the lobby.

"I wasn't choked up about when you first walk inside the building, but I'm not an architect," Mayor William McLeod said. "If it's OK with the police, it's OK with me."

McLeod called it a necessary facility, since the current station was built in the early 1970s when Hoffman Estates had less than half its current 50,000-plus residents. The size will double to more than 70,000 square feet.

Deerfield-based SRBL Architects is going for LEED gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, which only a handful of police stations nationwide have achieved. One of the initiatives toward LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a 20,000-square-foot green roof with grass and vegetation to provide a cooling effect.

Materials will include recycled flooring and carpet and Forest Stewardship Council-approved wood paneling. Solar shades, UV ray-blocking glass and plenty of bike racks are also in the plans.

"There's some extra expense, but there's a return on investment in terms of energy efficiency," Herdegen said.

The chief, who's excited about underground parking for squad cars and equipment, is also touting the new station's community resource center. The space could operate as an immunization clinic, for example.

The price tag doesn't include the $2.9 million land acquisition. Officials have said there will be two bond issues totaling $54.9 million, with extra funds going toward a new fire station being eyed on the west side of town.