Elmhurst Won't Repeat Past Mistakes With Building: Officials

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst officials pledged Thursday they won't repeat past mistakes in building a new police station.

During a public tour of the current building, they made the case that the 35-year-old police station needs to be torn down and replaced.

The city started looking into replacing it eight years ago. That was when the station was 27 years old.

More than two dozen residents showed up for the tour. This comes as the city is considering raising property taxes to help pay for the estimated $48 million project. The hike would amount to $53 a year for a $500,000 house.

Officials documented what they said were problems with the station, including:

• An inoperable air conditioning system for the last nine years.
• A plumbing disaster in 2018 that caused flooding in sections of the building.
• A sewage pipe that failed a year ago.
• Broken brick columns.
• A lack of Americans With Disabilities Act compliance.
• Safety issues in moving around suspects.
• A lack of space for female officers. One more locker is available, and it will be taken when an officer returns from the police academy.
• A lack of space for evidence, which is stored on three levels.
• Because of storage issues, officers' equipment is scattered in several places, making it inefficient to respond to calls.

The building was designed by an architectural firm that has never done a police station, officials said.

The building's slightly winding main staircase seems ornamental and takes up a lot of room, officials said. It is considered problematic and dangerous at times. During the tour, an officer was seen running down it.

Brett Kaczorowski, a deputy police chief with the Elmhurst Police Department, leads a tour of the police station Thursday. Officials are making the case to tear down the building and replace it. (David Giuliani/Patch)

This time, the city has hired Chicago-based FGM Architects, which the city says has designed hundreds of stations.

"It is my goal not to repeat the mistakes of the past," Mayor Scott Levin said during a later presentation. "We want somebody who has done this many times before."

The building is also considered too small, with 455 square feet per officer. By that metric, the station is the second smallest in DuPage County, a study shows. In comparison, the Bensenville police station, built a decade ago, has more than 1,000 square feet per officer.

Officials said DuPage County's main dispatch agency gets more 911 calls from Elmhurst than any other department. Elmhurst surpasses towns with even greater populations, including Wheaton and Downers Grove.

"Elmhurst is a very safe community, but it's also a very busy community," Police Chief Michael McLean said during the presentation.

Much of that is because Elmhurst is bounded by expressways, the chief said.

"It's a very unique position to be in for a suburb," he said. "Officers deal with crimes that come through Elmhurst."

During a question-and-answer session, residents asked how they could trust the city to do the police station right this time.

Officials pointed to the years-long process of looking at options, including whether to renovate, replace or move to a new place.

The city examined a proposal to renovate and add on to the building. But that was estimated to cost $40 million – $8 million less than a replacement.

McLean also said the central spot was beneficial because of the demand for officers' services in a "thriving" downtown.

Resident Russell Snella said he was appalled by the maintenance of the building. He said even small things such as doorstops and a ramp had not been taken care of, questioning what the public works staff has done.

"I've never seen a building in such poor repair," he said. "Now you're asking me for another $53 in taxes."

McLean said major items have been deferred through the years.

"The city has a building maintenance department of a handful of staff responsible for every city facility," McLean said. "They do the best they can."

On Monday, the City Council's public safety committee plans to meet at 7 p.m. at City Hall to discuss the police station proposal.

If members make a recommendation, the issue could go before the full council as early as next month.

A section of the Elmhurst Police Department's website is devoted to the proposed new police station.

Participants of a tour of the Elmhurst police station on Thursday walk down a slightly winding staircase at the Elmhurst police station. Officials said such staircases take up too much room. (David Giuliani/Patch)

Elmhurst resident Russell Snella (in green) says Thursday he is appalled at the maintenance of the Elmhurst police station. He was speaking during the city's presentation on the proposal to tear down the building and replace it. (David Giuliani/Patch)

Jim Gandy, a deputy police chief in Elmhurst, speaks during a tour of the police station Thursday. (David Giuliani/Patch)