On August 3^rd, the City will be hosting the ‘Grand Opening” of the new Police Headquarters facility which will be open to the public.  Dignitaries from the City and surrounding communities are also expected to participate.  An “Art In Public Places” subcommittee, made up of Rick Winters and Ian Reeves, has been successful in securing approval from the State of New York and its Port Authority to have a very significant piece of salvaged structural steel from Tower II of the World Trade Center erected vertically within the entry plaza.  Upon its arrival to the project site, the 40 foot high monument will respectfully recognize those who were lost in the infamous terrorist attack on 9/11.  The design and engineering services in support of this effort were contributed by Architects Design Group, TLC Engineering for Architecture, TRC Worldwide Engineering, and George F. Young Civil Engineers.  Architects Design Group is proud of the efforts made by all contributing parties in making this vision become a reality as we believe it shall become a community treasure and icon.

ADG’s Fort Myers office has completed several projects for the nearby City of Cape Coral, including the recently dedicated 100,000 square foot Police Headquarters Facility.  Currently, ADG’s Fort Myers staff is working with the City of Fort Myers on the design of a new 30,000 square foot Fire Station / Fire Administration Headquarters.  This new facility known as Fire Station No. 1 is expected to break-ground in 2011.

ADG designed the complex to include all necessary elements for a fully functioning police department; vehicle evidence processing, emergency services unit vehicle storage and a drive through sallyport, while the two-story fire department is comprised of a five-bay fire station and crew quarters on the first floor and fire administration and emergency operations center on the second floor.

The structure has been designed to withstand wind speeds in excess of 150 mph, with 100% mechanical and electrical redundancy to all critical infrastructure, to ensure the complex remains operational before, during and after a natural or man-made disaster.

ADG also assisted the city in acquiring more than $700,000 in FEMA grant funding for the project.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in October, 2010.

Critical to the mission of city, county, state and federal government is the protection of its citizens and the ability to continue public services 24 hours a day in both typical times and times of emergency. In order to do that, these governmental bodies require facilities that have the ability to protect the people, records and equipment contained within the building site and structures. This level or protection requires secure site perimeters of varying security levels, from public interface areas to highly secure, access controlled areas for staff operations. Also required is what is known as a “survivable” building envelope, which is a building that can withstand both natural and man-made catastrophic events and includes redundant water, sanitary and power systems.

Architects Design Group (ADG) understands how to plan, design, and construct “survivable” public safety facilities. Over the past 39 years, ADG has provided architectural design and systems coordination for facilities of this type, including the Sunrise Public Safety Facility currently under construction and the Monroe County Emergency Operations Center which is designed to survive the 10,000 Year Storm.

Mr. Keith Reeves, V, President of ADG, gave a detailed presentation to the City Managers that outlined the “process,” including the site selection procedure. Following the presentation, the City Managers toured the 35,650 square foot facility and met with the various entities that are accommodated in the new facility, including the Police Department, Fire Administration, 9-1-1 Communications and the Department of Emergency Management.

Reeves noted that the presentation and tour was an excellent way for the various City Managers to learn firsthand about the issues and realities of how to make a complex project become a reality, and how to respond to citizen’s questions regarding funding such a new facility during a “challenging” economic time.

The facility was competitively bid thru the Construction Manager (CM) at Risk process during a period when construction was at an all time high and values were changing on a weekly basis. The facility construction was completed in 2009 at a cost of approximately $9.8 million or at a value of $276 per square foot, including the demolition of the existing Police Department building that the new facility replaced.

Many ADG projects currently in design are being developed for LEED Certification, which incorporates many of the latest technologies including improved energy performance, water use reduction, recycled materials, and more. LEED recognizes that building performance must find a balance of efficiency and a healthy/humane workplace. ADG has adopted the pursuit of performance-oriented architecture as a philosophical under-pinning our professional practice.  “Lessons Learned” working on “green” projects like the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) are transferred to all current projects.  Our design work provides flexibility for technology integration and change; such that each project helps create a quality environment for the users and community.

This program is only offered to licensed architects, registered engineers, or certified building officials and inspectors.  Reeves now joins a select group of some sixty plus certified assessors in the State of Florida.  All of these individuals are trained in the following categories: concepts of emergency operations; earthquake effects on structures; windstorm and flood effects; and explosion effects.  Each event is unique and brings with it its own set of complicated effects.  The assessor’s role is to evaluate the magnitude of these effects and translate that into the safety level of the structures in the area affected by the event.  A detailed evaluation process is utilized to identify those structures that may be occupied and those that are not safe for habitants.  All of the individuals that are involved with the SAP (safety assessment program) provide their services on a volunteer basis and are not compensated by the local government entity which they are serving.

The overall complex encompasses the Public Safety Building; a 15,000 square foot, single story Ancillary Building housing an 8 lane Firing Range and Law Enforcement Command Vehicle storage; and a two story, 18,000 square foot, 4 bay Fire Station.  The buildings provide all required functional areas for the 300 person staff.  This City facility is also housing critical infrastructure needs, including an Emergency Operations Center. 

The structures have been designed and are being constructed to provide for a secure, storm-hardened, state-of-the-art, technologically sophisticated center for Police and Fire Rescue Services.  Systems include 100% mechanical and electrical redundancy to all critical infrastructure components, ensuring that the facilities remain operational during and immediately after a natural disaster or man-made incident.

The project is scheduled to be completed in February 2011.

The project is funded by FEMA, the State of Florida, and Monroe County and is scheduled to commence construction in early 2010. It will be located on the island of Marathon, midway between Key West and the mainland of Florida and will provide emergency response services for all of Monroe County.