Pitch to Park Ridge City Council calls for $1.2M in police station upgrades

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Ralph Cincinelli, of the Park Ridge Police Chief's Advisory Task Force, shares plans for improving and upgrading the Park Ridge Police Station during a Jan. 23 City Council meeting. | Jennifer Johnson~Sun-Times Media

Updated: February 27, 2012 8:39AM

How to pay for $1.2 million in renovations and new construction at the Park Ridge Police Station is a topic the City Council could tackle during budget deliberations this year.

Representatives of the Police Chief’s Advisory Task Force gave a presentation to the City Council on Jan. 23, outlining reasons why renovations to the existing station are necessary and explaining potential risks the facility now poses for both employees and the public.

The improvements presented would serve the Police Department for five to 10 years, said Ralph Cincinelli, an architect and member of the Chief’s Advisory Task Force who developed the renovation and construction plan.

The City Council will discuss funding alternatives during a Feb. 22 meeting on the city’s capital-improvements budget, said 4th Ward Alderman Sal Raspanti, chairman of the city’s Public Safety Commission. Aldermen may discuss whether funding can be set aside in the 2012-13 budget to begin the work, he added.

Improvements proposed for the 50-year-old station include the addition of a secure “sally port” for the transporting of arrestees, a handicapped-accessible ramp and various interior renovations, including an expanded locker room for female officers, a new ventilation system, and reconfiguration of space that will allow for interview space and better separation of arrestees and witnesses. The station may also require a new sprinkler system, estimated to cost an additional $150,000.

A 1,500-square-foot building, constructed on the site of a city-owned house at 229 S. Cumberland Ave., would store evidence and property, as well as unclaimed bicycles. The existing storage room in the station is inadequate, said Police Chief Frank Kaminski, who showed photographs of a small and cluttered evidence room.

The renovations would also address a recurring mold problem within the station, the chief said.

According to the presentation, potential liability issues associated with the current station include trip hazards from the stairs that lead down to the main entrance, holding cells and offices; a lack of separation between prisoners and victims, witnesses and police officers; insufficient space and poor ventilation in the evidence storage room that could raise the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals; poor ventilation in the staff workroom; a lack of an animal-impound area; and the ongoing mold problem.

During the presentation it was pointed out that the between 2000 and 2007 the city funded two separate studies that recommended the construction of a new police station. The studies cost the city $57,000.

“In the time that has gone by, the issues have gotten worse,” said Frank Gruba-McCallister, chairman of the Chief’s Task Force. “These are issues that are true liability issues. One single incident can more than outweigh the amount of money that this proposal is putting forth.”

A three-year funding plan supported by the Chief’s Task Force calls for the construction of the storage building during the first year, estimated to cost $325,000 to $400,000.

“What we have in front of us, I think, is a much more realistic solution to address a number of risk factors, as they have been referred to,” Raspanti said.

“This looks great on paper and it solves a bunch of issues, but to me it’s going to need a lot more detail and a lot more analysis,” added 5th Ward Alderman Dan Knight.

The renovations would not address all of the police station’s inadequacies, Kaminski said. Future needs would need to be explored after five to 10 years, he said.