Local businesses, volunteers donate officer wellness room at Schaumburg police station

An officer wellness room was revealed to donors from the local business and volunteer communities Monday as the final improvement to the Schaumburg Police Department’s half-century-old station before its replacement in late 2028.

The more than $100,000 philanthropic gesture is intended to see officers through approximately 800 more stressful days before it’s replicated in the new station.

“This is for our staff to recharge and be their best when they go into the community,” Schaumburg police Cmdr. Christy Lindhurst said. “I think taking care of our officers is a way of taking care of the community.”

The former office space is clearly different from a socially focused break room, with relaxing decor and lighting, seating including a $5,000 massage chair, games and other distractions from the pressures of an often dangerous job.

In its early days at least, the space is being reserved for officers to experience one at a time.

Dan Origer, owner of DJ’s Auto Service Center, became involved in the project as a Rotarian and a member of the Schaumburg Business Association. The room’s final appearance struck him as a place where someone can feel the police station outside the door has been left far behind.

“It’s like you’ve traveled someplace else,” he said.

The idea took about a year to realize, with three to four months of physical construction.

While 19 organizations are credited with completing the project, its pioneers include networking coach Raghu Sundara of Always Be Connecting, architect David Nelson of K2N Crest, and Jim Wienold, CEO of Bear Construction, which served as the main contractor.

Wellness rooms are more common in the western U.S., but Nelson said his inspiration for the design came from the intended feeling his Schaumburg Police Department liaisons described than examples he saw elsewhere.

Wienold agreed that the original instruction was to deliver a feeling of being in a safe and secure cocoon.

“There’s not much like this,” Wienold said

Lindhurst said once the community partners got involved, there was no suggestion of delaying it until the new station is built. Many of the elements, including the furniture, can be easily transferred in two years.

“Why wait?” she said. “Why not do it now? We can learn from it. We don’t see it as something that’s going to go away.”

epeterson@dailyherald.com