Arlington Heights candidates promise no more 'Taj Mahals'

A new police station is one of the largest, and likely most expensive, projects coming to Arlington Heights over the next few years, but the six candidates running for four seats on the village board in the April 7 election all promise they will keep costs under control.

The last time Arlington Heights rebuilt a municipal building was in 2008, when the village hall reopened after a $30 million overhaul. While the building is used by employees, community groups, schools and other organizations on a weekly basis, residents still balked at the price and stately appearance, often referring to it as the “Taj Mahal.”

“I think all these years after the village hall was built, to still hear the words ‘Taj Mahal' when you knock on doors and talk to people, I think the message to our board has come through loud and clear,” said Trustee Mike Sidor.

With those memories still fresh in the minds of the village board and residents, incumbents Sidor, Robin LaBedz, Carol Blackwood and John Scaletta, along with challengers Tom Schwingbeck and D. Court Harris, told the Daily Herald Editorial Board that history won't repeat itself with the new police station.

“I was not on the village board during the process of building the village hall, but it has been loud and clear since the opening that village hall is way too extravagant,” said Scaletta. “And I would agree, it is way too extravagant.”

Scaletta said the village already has put off building a new police station for several years, delaying the discussion during the recession and not making necessary maintenance improvements.

The current police station was built in the 1970s and is out of date with accessibility standards and the necessities of modern policing, officials said. Aside from the structural problems with the station, its layout also has issues because victims and suspects are in interview rooms right next to one another.

“That is a recipe for disaster,” Scaletta said.

A space-needs study from 2009 estimated the price of a new station could hit $40 million, a number that got residents talking and is still on the minds of many.

“I know several years ago when it was brought up, the sum of $40 million was put in as a placeholder and I just can't imagine that we'll get anywhere near that,” LaBedz said. “I certainly will not allow that to happen.”

None of the candidates put a price limit on the project, but all promised they would not let costs skyrocket to that $40 million figure.

“We've made it clear to the architects that we did not want to see an extravagant building,” LaBedz said. “We want to see something that is functional but that we can be proud of.”

FGM Architects, which was commissioned to update the space-needs study, recently told the village board that a new facility could be built where the police station sits now and at a price lower than the original estimate.

Concepts for the new station call for a 24,000-square-foot, two-story building with a basement and a 12,500-square-foot garage. The building would include evidence storage, a firing range, a fitness center, locker rooms and training facilities in the basement; lockup cells, room for the patrol, investigations, records and evidence divisions on the first floor; and administration, a multipurpose room, traffic officers and community service officers on the second floor.

While the board has yet to approve final plans, the 2015 budget includes $500,000 for preliminary architectural costs.

“Safety and the health of our community comes first, and obviously the police station falls under the safety aspect of it,” said Blackwood. Some factors of the new building, such as an enclosed garage, will be important to that goal, Blackwood said, to ensure police can respond to emergencies in inclement weather.

Harris, a member of the village's police and fire commission, said as a war veteran he takes public safety very seriously.

“The question is how do we balance the best-in-class service and protection that residents expect, with ensuring that funds are spent properly,” Harris said.

He said if elected he will ask tough questions throughout the process to ensure that the final cost stays on track.

Schwingbeck said he isn't sure residents understand exactly why Arlington Heights needs a new police station, and that the process has to be transparent.

“I think as trustees we really need to make sure the citizens understand that this is important and that we need to do it,” he said. “Before we start making decisions about whether it's right or wrong, we need to have all the facts in front of us.”

The village has a part of its website now dedicated to updating residents on the police station project.