Allentown City Council approves contract for police building, two weeks after delay that could have risked funding

Allentown City Council approved a contract that will advance a $28 million plan to renovate and build an addition to the police headquarters.

The vote came two weeks after Council delayed approving the same contract because some members said they did not have enough information about the police building plans . City officials warned at the time that delaying the contract could put $9 million of federal funding at risk.

Wednesday’s vote was 5-2, with Council members Ce-Ce Gerlach and Natalie Santos opposing the contract.

The $1.1 million contract with Alvin H. Butz is for construction management. The prominent Allentown-area construction company was selected to manage and oversee the construction process; it was the only firm to bid on the project.

“We need to make an investment in public safety in the city of Allentown,” Council Vice President Santo Napoli said.

Architecture firm Alloy5 in February unveiled the results of a feasibility study to replace the city police headquarters. It recommended a $28 million plan to rehabilitate the police building at 425 Hamilton St. and build a 22,500-square-foot addition.

According to police Assistant Chief James Gress, the Department of Justice recommends that police departments have one central headquarters where all officers are stationed.

The investment would enable all police officers to be stationed in one building. The city has announced plans to sell a police building at 10th and Hamilton and relocate all officers to 425 Hamilton.

Allentown wants to replace its police headquarters and central fire station. But, how will the city pay for it?

Bekah Rusnock, director of development for Alloy5, told council Wednesday that the firm chose the existing headquarters as an optimal location because the building has “good bones” and there is ample space to build the addition. The new building, when complete, will provide enough space for 250 police officers — the city currently employs 212 officers and has around 20 vacancies in the department, but police leaders have said they are looking to grow the force.

City Finance Director Bina Patel said delaying the vote could unnecessarily put federal funding at risk. City Council last year voted to allocate $9 million in coronavirus relief money to public safety infrastructure projects. But the American Rescue Plan Act requires the city to allocate all funding to specific sources by the end of 2024 — if it fails to do so, the city must return the money to the federal government.

City Council in April also delayed the city’s plans to sell the police station on 10th and Hamilton to the city parking authority, after the city’s police union leader, Dave Benner, publicly opposed the sale.

Benner said union members have concerns about parking availability, but Gress said that the new facility would add 110 parking spots to those already available on site. Benner also said he thought more rank and file police officers should have had the chance to give feedback on the building.

“It might have been nice, if we’re talking about input for that,” Benner said.

Rusnock said Alloy5 architects spoke to at least one police officer from each department.

City Council also referred a bill that would reallocate $4.5 million for a new fire station to the new police building. A memo, attributed to the city administration, said council should approve the transfer of funds so that the city could meet federal deadlines for the American Rescue Plan funding. The plan to replace the Central Fire Station, which is plagued with issues like roof leaks, pests and lack of storage, is not as far along as the police building plans. A feasibility study for a new fire station is not yet public.

Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com .