City of Redmond holds open house as it gathers public input, ideas on new Public Safety Facility
(Update: Adding video, police chief comments)
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The City of Redmond invited the community to an open house at City Hall Thursday evening to learn more about and weigh in on plans for the new Public Safety Facility.
The city said attendees would participate in image and word visioning exercises, shaping the design inspiration for the new facility, as well as opportunities to ask the design team questions about the building program and site.
The open house was led by the FFA Architecture + Interiors team, who are leading the design for the public safety facility. FFA notably designed the reconstruction and revitalization of the current Redmond City Hall building, a project strongly influenced by community engagement.
Redmond Police Chief Devin Lewis told NewsChannel 21 earlier Thursday, "We're hoping to hear what people's ideas are for the new facility, what they would like to see in the new facility, what kind of services they would like us to provide."
The location of the new Public Safety Facility will be on NW Canal Boulevard, off Highway 97 and across from the Cottonwood RV Park in Redmond, on an 8-acre parcel of open land purchased by the city in 2021
Redmond has experienced significant growth since the current police station was built in 1998. The population has grown by nearly 41% since the 2010 census, and the existing facility was not built to keep up with the rapidly expanding and evolving community needs.
In May 2022, voters approved a bond to fund construction of a new public safety facility estimated at $40 million. Land has already been acquired for the Public Safety Facility, using Redmond American Rescue Plan Act funds in 2021. City councilors committed another $2.9 million in ARPA funding to further reduce the cost to taxpayers from $15/month to $12/month.
Lewis said he believes it's time for an update, with new spaces for public use.
"We're also hopeful to have a community room built in front of the PD, that we can use as a training center, and a community resource center where groups such as Boy Scouts, Kiwanis, Lions Club, things like that. If they want to have a meeting, they can have it right there in front of the PD."
Construction is expected to start about a year from now, with completion targeted for February or March of 2025.
"We expect this facility to last 35 to 40 years initially," Lewis said. "It's going to be built and designed in a way that we can expand the facility upward and outward. As Redmond grows, the police department will be able to grow so we actually hope the facility can last 100 years."
The city is underway with the preliminary design phase of the public safety facility, with construction slated to begin this year. More information is available online at www.redmondoregon.gov/PublicSafetyFacility.
