https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/sioux-city-police-headquarters-getting-money-to-remodel-entrance/article_a5fcf8f7-ecf3-575c-876f-780729c819cb.html SIOUX CITY -- The Sioux City Police Department headquarters entrance will soon be altered to improve safety by providing an area for security screenings prior to entry in the building. The Sioux City Council in its weekly Monday meeting passed two measures to construct a covered vestibule at the entrance by 2021, including officially accepting a U.S. Department of Justice Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Grant of $133,995. The other measure was approving a plan to pay FEH Design, of Sioux City, $28,235 for design tasks related to the project. Police Capt. Lisa Claeys said the project could begin by fall, and construction of a covered entry vestibule would update the entrance doors for the first time in 30 years.
"Having a more secure facility to allow controlled access to the police and fire headquarters will enhance public health and safety by maximizing the utilization remote access to communicate and screen citizens, allowing a more safety oriented approach to social distancing and risk mitigation for employees and residents," Claeys said in a meeting memo. Claeys said community spread of the novel coronavirus in March moved police officials to cut off public access to the building, and the front doors to the main lobby were locked for the first time ever.
"Our lobby was accessible and has been utilized 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Following the positive COVID-19 diagnosis of 10 staff members in rapid succession, the need for building modifications in the interest of employee and citizen safety became paramount," Claeys said. In April, Police Chief Rex Mueller told the Journal he was one of the infected employees, and others included a police captain, two lieutenants, a sergeant, a police officer and some civilian employees. Sioux City Police Fire entrance vestibule drawing
The prelinimary design for an entrance vestibule to the Sioux City Police Fire Headquarters Building is shown in these plans provided by the Sioux City Police department. FEH Design
In investigating changing the entrance, she said, some double doors were found to be leaking heat or air conditioning, and there was a desire to extend the entrance closer to the street by adding the vestibule. That portion could include sliding doors, and will provide a waiting area out of the elements for building visitors. Claeys said the more modern entrance would have speakers and cameras so that both police and fire department staff could remotely observe, speak with and screen people coming into the building. "An added bonus to this structure would be lobby security from individuals who may seek to engage officers or staff in a violent encounter. In the past several years, multiple police agencies have dealt with active shooters in their lobby," Claeys said. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Parking Lot - Currently the parking lot concrete is deteriorating rapidly. Crevices in the concrete are allowing runoff to flow beneath the parking lot causing shifting and hollow areas. The uneven surfaces also result in snow and ice clearing issues. The Police Department purchased an additional parking lot located to the north of the current lot. We anticipate the project will involve a full replacement of the concrete surfaces and a redesign of traffic flow, taking full advantage of the new parking area.
UPS System - When the Communication Center was moved from the Police\Fire Headquarters building the system used to stabilize the electricity was removed. The installation of a UPS system is needed to stabilize the electrical flow and to provide power while the generator is coming on line. We anticipate the project will involve the replacement of the UPS. The generator is scheduled for replacement in 2020 under CIP project #159-031. Installing the UPS at that time should result in a cost savings. Project is included City Of Sioux City FY 2019-2023 CIP. Per the owner, as of March 19, 2019, information regarding a design team is not available. Owner states that the parking lot will be going out for bids in the near future. Construction is expected to begin in 2019. *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.
As of May 18, 2022, no new information available
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