By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX
The City of Tucson is looking to build a new Public Safety Complex at 4410 South Park Avenue and has recently issued a Request for Qualifications for professional design services.
The project, called the Southside Public Safety Complex, will replace the existing Santa Cruz Police Substation and Fire House 10 and bring them both under one roof. The project will also incorporate other public facilities including a community meeting room and community basketball court.
“The intent of collocating both Police and Fire in one facility is the goal of maximizing efficiencies and creating shared spaces which can be utilized by both departments,” the RFQ states. Currently, the staff in the existing Police and Fire Station buildings have outgrown their facilities.
The Santa Cruz Police Substation portion of the building will be approximately 36KSF and is anticipated to accommodate a staff size of 138 with room for expansion. The Fire Station section will be approximately 18KSF.
Some goals for the project include:
- Safety for Police Officers and Firefighters
- Modern facility with traditional Fire Station/Police Station aspects
- Use of quality design materials
- Energy efficiency and designed to LEED Silver standards
- Flexible spaces that can be used for multiple purposes and shared spaces including lobby entrance, fitness and training/conference rooms.
Both existing buildings will remain operational until the new complex is complete. Once completed, the old Santa Cruz Police Substation will be demolished, allowing the space to be used for parking or community space. The Fire Station will be repurposed.
Funding for the $25.7M complex comes from voter approval of Proposition 101 in 2017, which was an additional half cent sales tax to fund public safety infrastructure projects.
A virtual pre-submittal meeting for the RFQ is scheduled for Tuesday, December 8th, at 10:00 A.M. All Statements of Qualification are required to be submitted to the City of Tucson’s Department of Procurement by 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday, January 13th, 2021.
While there is no anticipated date for the start of design and construction yet, the RFQ does have a preliminary timeframe. Programming is anticipated to take approximately one month, with design taking approximately 10-12 months. Bidding and permitting will take four months and phased construction will take approximately 14-16 months. The design phase will include, “a concept/schematic design, design development, and construction development phase allowing 2-3 weeks for internal review of plans at each stage.”
The city is planning to use the Construction Manager at Risk method of delivery with a phased Guaranteed Maximum Price for construction.