Queen Creek approves $4.7M design contract for police facilities

Plans for new headquarters for the Queen Creek Police Department and a town parking structure are moving forward.

On Wednesday, the Queen Creek Town Council approved a $4,770,372 design contract with Arrington Watkins Architects for the two facilities.

The contract was part of the council’s consent agenda, which is voted on with one motion. Council members or town staff can pull an item off a consent agenda for a separate discussion and vote.

QCPD’s 10-year infrastructure plan calls for the construction of a new headquarters and a secure, public-access parking structure located on about 22 acres in the downtown municipal complex.

Town staff looked at the options of building the new structures or expanding and renovating the existing Public Service Building.

“Through multiple council briefings, town staff was directed to pursue the option to design and construct a new headquarters building and parking structure, to include future consideration for placement of a municipal court complex also included in the 10-year infrastructure plan,” a council staff report stated.

Plans call for an approximately 55,000-square-foot headquarters, a three-level parking structure to support the entire municipal complex and a future building.

The headquarters will include additional QCPD administration offices, a public safety answering point/911 call area and a communications/dispatch. The proposed parking structure will require about 300 secured parking spaces for police plus additional public parking for staff and visitors.

In October, Police Chief Randy Brice told council members the department is continuing its steady growth after starting with 64 officers and nine professional staff.

“Today, we’re authorized at 158, but then you start looking ahead and the projection for the next three years, we’re looking at about a 25 increase (in personnel) a year which comes up to another 75 individuals between the sworn and professional staff. So, you’re talking about 233 people that we’ll have in just a few years, and we are out of space right now,” Brice said.

The department’s current operations are conducted primarily out of the Community Chambers/Law Enforcement Facility, 20727 E. Civic Parkway, and the upper floor of Communiversity, 21740 S. Ellsworth Road.

In August, the council approved leasing more than 9,600 square feet at a local industrial spot to provide additional space for the police department.

The total design cost for the new facilities is $4.7 million. The fiscal year 2024-25 town budget includes almost $3 million for the design of the headquarters, while the design costs for the parking structure will be built into future fiscal years, the town report stated.

Growth will fund 21% of the new square footage for the facilities. Of that, 70% will come from the town’s dedicated construction sales tax and 30% from police impact fees.

The remaining cost will be funded through the town’s recent $75 million bond sale. Debt service on the bonds will be paid from the town’s operating budget.

The sale of the bonds took place on Dec. 10, after the council approved the issuance at its Nov. 6 meeting.

The town’s AA+ rating allowed the town to obtain a 4.38% interest rate on the bonds as opposed to the 4.75% that was expected. Annual payments on the debt are expected to range from $3 million to $7.5 million over the life of the debt. The debt will be paid through impact and capacity fees, the operating budget, the 2% sales tax dedicated to transportation, and water and wastewater rates.

Over the next five years, the town plans to build an estimated $215 million worth of infrastructure, with $150 million of that financed through bonds. The issuance of those bonds was broken into two portions — the $75 million sold in December and a second $75 million issuance set for 2026.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.