Some features removed for cost
By: Lea Kahn
Clarke Caton Hintz, the Trenton architectural firm hired by Lawrence Township to design the proposed Police Department and Municipal Court building, is putting the finishing touches to the design.
Township Council members were treated to a sneak peek at the proposed facility plan last month, as architect John P. Clarke outlined the layout of the 41,210-square-foot building. The council has earmarked $6 million for the project.
The 270-foot-long building will be constructed on the north side of the municipal campus, between the parking lot and the Interstate Highway 95 ramp. It will be placed perpendicular to Route 206, and will face the municipal building. The plans call for 110 parking spaces in front of the building, plus 45 spaces for police cars at the rear.
Mr. Clarke told the council June 20 it will be a "long, low building" with a "central pavilion and two end pavilions," designed to be compatible with the existing municipal building.
The brick structure will be divided between the police headquarters and the municipal court functions, the architect said. Visitors will see the communications office when they enter the building.
Mr. Clarke said the police chief, captains and lieutenants each will have private offices. There will be a room for the records bureau, the detective bureau and the patrol division, as well as the juvenile division.
In the basement, there will be locker rooms for men and women police officers, along with separate bathroom facilities, Mr. Clarke said. There will be 65 lockers for the male police officers and 10 lockers for the women police officers. A fitness room also is planned.
There will be storage rooms for police and court files, plus storage for weapons and ammunition in the basement of the new building. Space also has been earmarked for an evidence storage room.
The Municipal Court wing will have separate offices for the Municipal Court judge, prosecutor and public defender. Six jail cells are included in the court wing.
Municipal Manager William Guhl said the original plan called for 12 jail cells. "There were a lot of other things that we could not afford or that would not fit onto the site. We had to cut the plans back," he said.
Mr. Guhl recommended leaving in place the canopy for the 12 police cars. The canopy will protect the officers from the weather as they get into and out of the patrol cars, he said. It will protect the vehicles also, he said.
The design work for the police/court building will be completed by the end of this month, said Steven DiBartolo, a project executive of Gilbane, the construction management company hired to oversee construction.
Mr. DiBartolo said the project will be put out for bids Oct. 1. The bids are due back by mid-November, after which a contract will be awarded by Township Council.
The building is expected to be completed in December 2001.