IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A groundbreaking ceremony for the Idaho Falls Community Police Center is scheduled for April 28.
The Idaho Falls City Council on Thursday approved the awarding of the bid for the Idaho Falls Community Police Center to Ormond Builders.
This is the final step before launching the first stand-alone, consolidated police facility in the history of the city of Idaho Falls.
“This will be the first police station ever built in Idaho Falls, so we couldn’t be more excited to open this historic facility,” said Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper. “This will bring all of our law enforcement officers together under one roof and give citizens a place to connect personally with police officers. We have also planned a small tribute to the history of the site, historic site of former commercial stockyards. Overall, the facility will serve to revitalize the entire Northgate Mile area. And when you add the fact that this is being built without any additional tax burden on city residents, it’s very easy to see why we’re excited to begin construction.
The total bid amount awarded was $23,847,576.00. This included a base bid of $23,827,176 with an alternate bid of $20,400.00, unit cost #1 (removal of inappropriate materials) at $40.00/cubic meter, and unit cost #2 ( rock removal) at $115.00/cubic metre. This offer is consistent with previous estimates made by City of Idaho Falls staff and the overall $30 million budget for the project.
“As several of our council members said on Thursday, ‘This has been a long time coming,'” Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson said. “We are so grateful to the community members, city managers and staff, council members and Mayor Casper who recognized the need for this facility and helped make it happen. To echo something else, our board members said, “It’s not just about the police, it’s about the community.” This facility will allow us to be more accessible and engaged with our community and improve the services we provide, which will only become more important as Idaho Falls grows.
Today, the department is currently split between 8 different buildings, with day-to-day staff at six of these sites. This fragmented approach negatively affects the department’s ability to be accessible to the public, solve crimes, and better meet public safety needs in the city.
The Idaho Falls Police Department moved into its current primary location, the Bonneville County Law Enforcement Building, in 1978. Previously, the IFPD had historically shared facilities with other city departments in City Hall, along with the Idaho Falls Fire Department and even occupied a small space on the second floor of a building on Park Avenue. In the department’s 127-year history, the IFPD has yet to have a stand-alone, consolidated police facility.
In late 2019, the City of Idaho Falls purchased the property from the Idaho Livestock Commission, located at 701 Northgate Mile and commonly referred to as “Stockyards”, designating it as the future headquarters of the Idaho Falls Police Department.
In April 2020, two firms—Architects Design Group, a national firm specializing in police facilities, and NBW Architects, a local Idaho Falls-based architect, were selected to design the new facility.
In the coming weeks, members of the Idaho Falls community and visitors can expect to see work begin on the former stockyard property.
