Work on new Palatine police station to get underway next year

Palatine Police Chief John Koziol had the line of the night at Monday's village council meeting.

"It's not a Cadillac, but it's a nicely equipped Chevy," Koziol said. "We think we have everything we need."

Koziol was referring to the schematic design of the department's future police station. Construction is due to start in summer or fall next year on Hicks Road north of Northwest Highway.

The council unanimously approved SRBL Architects' proposal, which identified project goals, space needs, cost estimates, preliminary floor layout and site plan. The vote cleared the way for further design development.

But before giving their OK, a couple council members wanted to make sure that everything - absolutely everything - had been considered.

"We need to do this right," Councilman Jack Wagner said to Koziol. "We don't want to come back in two, three years and say, 'You know, we kind of blew this or that.'"

Koziol said the building is meant to last between 60 and 100 years. He acknowledged there's not much room for growth in the building, but said the village is close to being built out, so no major population growth is expected. And he believes there's plenty of parking.

Councilman Brad Helms' concerns about adequate buffers between the station and neighbors, as well as the maneuvering squad cars have to do to exit the parking lot, will be fine-tuned as design work progresses.

The 71,500-square-foot facility, which will likely be built over 12 and 14 months, comes with a $23.5 million price tag. However, Village Manager Reid Ottesen said Camosy Construction has already shaved a couple million dollars off the projected price. He noted that the police department has worked in cramped quarters while doubling in size.

"We're not out there to try to build the Taj Mahal," Ottesen said. "We need something that meets our law enforcement needs, fits within the community, but is also fiscally responsible."