New West Deer municipal complex could cost $11 million, but no tax hike vowed

The West Deer supervisors viewed plans for a new municipal complex this week — along with its $11 million price tag.

Matthew Franz, a vice president for HHSDR Architects and Engineers, and HHSDR associate David Kent unveiled proposed artist renderings and a floor plan to the supervisors.

The new complex, which will house the township’s government offices, would be built on property owned by the township adjacent to the current municipal building along East Union Road.

Covering an area of about 17,600 square feet, the one-story building would have a wing for township administration offices on one end and a wing for police offices on the other. They would be separated by a lobby, community meeting rooms and restrooms in the middle.

Franz said, in preparing the plans, HHSDR representatives spoke with township employees about what they think is the biggest need and the consensus was more space.

“I think the plan is very reflective of providing space not only for the employees who are here now but also to accommodate future growth,” Franz said.

He referred to the plan’s ability to expand the administrative wing if needed in subsequent years.

The police wing at 8,840 square feet is double the size of the administrative wing, which occupies 4,275 square feet.

It includes three garages for police vehicles, men’s and women’s locker rooms, a booking/processing area for prisoners, three holding cells, an armory, an evidence storage room and a large squad room with desk space for 18 officers.

In addition, the police wing will have a sally port accessible from the rear parking lot. A police vehicle transporting a prisoner to the municipal building can drive into the sally port, which is secured by a gate or garage door to allow for prisoners to be securely transferred into the building.

Another feature of the police wing is that construction will allow for the squad room area to act as a shelter from tornadoes. Kent said a requirement of building codes is to have an area of such buildings that can act as a shelter from winds traveling with a force of 250 mph.

He said that will be done by constructing the walls of the squad room area out of sturdy, more expensive concrete block while other areas of the building will be built using brick or stone veneer over metal studs.

“You’re basically building a bunker,” Kent said, adding that the squad room is close enough for employees on the administrative side to reach it quickly.

Under the construction budget outlined by Franz and Kent, the actual cost of construction will be about $8.8 million. The remaining $2.3 million includes numerous costs for items such as utilities, computer hardware, inspection and permit fees, $420,000 for engineering/design fees, new furniture and an $880,000 contingency fund.

Franz said the costs have increased greatly over the past two years, a result of the covid pandemic’s impact.

“Two years ago, we were about $300 per square foot in construction costs,” he said. “Now we’re around $500 per square foot.

Supervisors Chairwoman Beverly Jordan said township officials were uncertain about the costs.

“We’re at the starting point,” Jordan said. “We had general ideas from a consultant, but we really didn’t have any design to go from.

“The difference in cost is just astronomical.”

But Jordan was firm on what the township won’t do to pay for the new complex.

“We are not going to raise taxes to build this building,” she said.

Township Manager Daniel Mator also was confident that could be done, noting the supervisors have known a new building would be needed eventually and have been preparing for it.

“Back in 2015, I believe it was, the supervisors instructed me to start putting money aside,” Mator said.

He estimated what an annual bond payment might look like for a new building and started putting about $300,000 a year into a dedicated building fund. He said some years it was more and some years less depending on whether the supervisors felt the money was needed elsewhere.

That fund now contains somewhere between $1 million and $1.5 million, he said. Also, Mator said the township secured a $1.5 million state grant to be used for the building.

While that still would leave a considerable shortfall, Mator said the township essentially has integrated a bond payment into its annual budget for at least seven years to be prepared for the financial burden.

Meanwhile, Franz said the next step for HHSDR is to develop the plan further by adding structural details.