The decision at hand for this town’s future police headquarters is whether to embrace modesty and save money now or go big and build for the long term.
Erie officials unveiled several options for a new public safety building — ranging in size from 12,000 square feet to 16,800 square feet and in price from $2.8 million to $3.9 million — at an open house Thursday, Oct. 13.
The lowest-cost building does not include an enclosed sally port for secure offender transfer, a space for juvenile holding or a courtroom. The priciest option has it all but will force the town to dig for additional money it doesn’t have.
Beverly Cameron, a 32-year resident of Erie, said she prefers the top-of-the-line building because she thinks it will be disruptive transporting suspects from the new police station — planned for a 6-acre parcel at the southwest corner of County Line Road and Telleen Avenue — to the courtroom at Town Hall.
“What we need to do is build for the future so we’re not doing this again in 10 years,” Cameron said.
Interest rates are low and if money needs to be borrowed, she said, now is the time to do it.
The town foresees adding another $1.5 million or so to the price of any building to pay for furniture, landscaping and technology.
Denver-based Roth Sheppard is behind the look of the new building. The firm designed the Windsor Police Station, the Milliken Police Department and Municipal Court, and the Broomfield Police Department and Combined Courts building.
Trustee Mark Gruber worries about finding the money to pay for a new police headquarters. He said Erie has about $2 million available in impact funds but will have to come up with creative ways to raise or borrow the rest. One option on the table is going to voters and asking them to agree to a bump in their property taxes.
Gruber said he wants to give the 21 sworn officers on the force the space and resources they need to do their job serving the town of 19,000. Now, Erie’s police department is housed in a cramped 2,400-square-foot space inside Town Hall, where a detective’s office often doubles as an evidence room.
“If the debt service is affordable, I would opt for the largest building,” he said. “The most important factor is that we need to support the people who are keeping us safe.”
Erie Sgt. Alfredo Nevarez said things can get loud in the police station, with everyone working atop one another. He spends part of every day reading over his officers’ reports and getting them ready for the courts.
“Sound carries in there, and we need more privacy to do our work,” he said.
Chief John Hall said Erie’s town prosecutor is relegated to working “under the stairwell.”
“I want to build a building that is serviceable to the community far into the future,” he said.
The chief said it’s also important to avoid having the structure be overly imposing and intimidating.
“What I’d like to see is a building that is inviting to the public,” he said. “That is, if I go there I’m going to get good service and where I can see it’s a professional agency. We want to be a part of the community, not apart from it.”
Hall said the building could be completed within a couple of years of the town trustees giving approval to a specific plan.
By John Aguilar For Hometown Weekly
ERIE IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!
DELI CIOSO is one of the newest businesses to open in Old Town in Erie, Colorado. Bruce Martinez and his family have been working hard to realize this dream. Bruce and his wife Dawn Ferrera have always craved a restaurant in their town that provided their kind of good Mexican food. Finally, on January 20th, their dream happened with the grand opening at Briggs and Wells Streets. The citizens of Erie packed the place and it looked like a grand time was had by all.
The restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner with prices ranging between $5.70 and $7.25. Daily specials will be offered from 10:30 am to 8 pm Monday through Thursday, 10:30 to 9 p.m. on Friday, 11 am to 9 pm on Saturday and 11 am to 7 pm on Sunday.
Martinez is a native of Erie, being born, schooled and raised here. He has a large family in the area to help fulfill his dream. His father Anastacio is assisting in the kitchen and his mother-in-law Annette as well as cousins and siblings are all helping to operate the restaurant. They have ten tables and a bar and have applied for their liquor license. The patio is scheduled to open in May.
Unlimited
Development Potential
Abundant
Ammenities
Erie
Community
at its
best.
From the Blog
Bridgewater Development receives recognition in Letter from Mayor Joe Wilson
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Colorado Development Featured in Site Selection Magazine
The January 2012 issue of Site Selection magazine features a great article on economic development in Colorado. Some of the highlights include: Colorad ranks #1 in concentration of high-tech workers. 89 out of every 1,000 workers in Colorado are employed in … Continue reading
- moreNew Erie Police Department
The decision at hand for this town’s future police headquarters is whether to embrace modesty and save money now or go big and build for the long term. Erie officials unveiled several options for a new public safety building — … Continue reading
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Erie’s velodrome builders target 2012 completion
Track builders still seeking financial support from cycling community
By John Aguilar For Hometown Weekly
Posted: 10/04/2011 04:53:23 PM MDT
The men behind the 250-meter cycling track, which is expected to be up and running by late spring or early summer, spoke to a crowd of 50 or so people at an open house to solicit founding memberships.
“When people first see the track, they’re going to be beating down the doors to be a part of it,” said Doug Emerson, a partner in Boulder-based Boneshaker LLC, which is building the Boulder Valley Velodrome. “This is like buying Green Bay Packers season tickets on the 50-yard line in 1962.”
Frank Banta, Boneshaker’s president, said he and Emerson have the financing in place to push forward with the velodrome but still need commitments from the local cycling community to make the project viable in the long term.
The 4.2-acre site, at the intersection of County Line Road and Bonnell Avenue, was covered in large mounds of dirt Thursday as earthmovers prepared the ground for construction of the football field-sized track. Town leaders approved the project last summer. Bamta and Emerson originally announced the track would be operational by the summer of 2011.
Founding members are being asked to pony up $5,000 for a five-year membership and in return would get to hit the track anytime they like. Club members would pay $400 for a 12-week membership and would get to ride during prime weekend and weeknight hours.
Emerson, who started up University Bicycles in Boulder nearly 30 years ago, said he’s trying to build a “Belgian-style club culture,” in which riders of all ages and skill levels could join up in 30-person clubs to take laps around the oval track.
Colby Pearce, a private cycling coach based in Boulder, said he was considering becoming a founding member. There are only three or four other 250-meter tracks in the United States, and with Colorado’s thin air, he predicted the Boulder Valley Velodrome will be the country’s fastest.
“Track cycling is the most supercharged form of cycling,” he said. “It’s so easy to go fast, and it’s so addictive. There’s no traffic, no potholes, no dogs chasing you — it’s just the track and the buddies you’re riding with.”
Pearce said the velodrome would make Erie a destination and have residual benefits for the local economy, with cyclists hitting restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores in town.
“I see this as a huge opportunity for the cycling community in this area,” he said. “And it’s going to generate funds for Erie.”
Banta and Emerson said they are building the velodrome to meet Olympic standards, with a 1-inch-thick plywood track boasting a 42-degree angle at the curves and an 11-degree angle on the straightaways. Global velodrome designer Peter Junek is behind the project.
The Boulder Valley Velodrome will keep a fleet of track bikes — fixed-gear bicycles with no brakes and thin, high-pressure tires — on site for riders to use.
Mark Tyson, a board member for the Colorado Springs Velodrome Association, said it’s critical that Colorado have a track that meets the international standard.
“It’s important that riders know the nuance of a track that size,” Tyson said.
Emerson said it’s also important that the velodrome not just be a practice facility for elite athletes. He envisions reserving blocks of time each day for kids, seniors and casual cyclists to get to know the sport of track cycling.
And he encourages Erie residents to join up first.
“We don’t want Erie on the outside looking in,” Emerson said. “We want residents here to be the first ones to step up and take advantage.”
Testimonial
- I am a commercial developer in Erie, Colorado who developed 34,000 sf of mixed use new construction from scratch. I had to work through planning, engineering and public works, and the building department to complete the project. I would say that all the departments knew their particular area of expertise very well, and worked with me to resolve the inevitable issues in a professional and timely fashion. - TV
As a builder in town, I have found the building department to be extremely knowledgeable and always willing to hear me out. - RH
- From my stand point as a developer, I’m always looking for consistency. The Erie planning staff seems to know the rules and how to apply them fairly. I always appreciate their honesty.
- JL
