2 New Public Safety Building Designs Presented

CAPE MAY – Cape May is seeking a design it can afford for a proposed public safety complex at the site of the firehouse on Franklin Street.
At the Sept. 10 meeting of the Cape May Public Safety Advisory Committee, USA Architects presented two new options, both of which significantly reduce the square footage of the building.
In early August, the first cost estimates for three earlier options came in higher than expected, causing city officials to cancel a scheduled public meeting at which the conceptual designs were to be shared with residents.
The space demands of the three earlier options ranged from a high of 37,188 to 33,217 square feet. The two new options call for 28,091 or 24,434.
The difference between the highest space allocation in the previous designs and the lowest number in the current options shaves over 12,000 square feet from the building.
Sticker shock caused the city to request new options, which the architectural firm said still meet all functional requirements for a combined safety complex.
The earlier designs had projected total construction costs above $20 million, with the highest option topping out at $22 million. The two new options came with estimates for total construction costs of $16.4 or $17.8 million.
A 30-page handout contained the square-foot allocation by function, floor diagrams, cost estimates, a site map, and parking spaces under each option. A look at the numbers shows what options four and five, the new options, give up in exchange for a cheaper price.
Looking at option two, the most expensive at 37.188 square feet and three floors of building space, and option four, the least expensive at 24,434 square feet and two floors, the detailed construction costs drop by $4 million.
Two-thirds of that reduction is in the four areas of HVAC, electrical, earthwork and what are termed finishes. The total space drops by just over 12,000 square feet and assests like HVAC and electrical decrease as well.
Concerning functional space, the first-floor design differs by about 1,000 square feet from option two to option four. The fire department training tower is gone from the floor plans of option four but the budgets for both options had shown the fire tower to be an alternative expense and not part of the detail construction costs. One prominent loss in the transition to the less expensive option is space for future expansion of the departments.
Both options two and four lay out the two departments in relatively separate stacked order from first to second floors. Even though the design is one shared building, the visual effect of the layout is that of seeing two buildings that happen to be attached. The space allocated to police and fire departments does not intermingle in any way.
According to functional allocation of assignable square feet, the common space consists mainly of shared mechanical rooms, a common lobby, and an elevator. The only other shared space in both options amounts to a fitness room, which is listed at over 1,000 square feet in option two and 437 square feet in option four.
On the second floor, both departments lose space, as things planned for the third floor in option two have to be fit into the second floor of option four. These include the Office of Emergency Management space and the shared fitness room.
To accomplish that elimination of a third floor, the second floor in the less expensive option reduces the space given over to fire department bunk rooms and living space. Space for the police department administration and staff locker rooms is also compressed.
Charts provided showed that the net assignable space for all functions in the fire department declines by 22% from option two to option four. The same calculation for the police department shows a decrease of 12%.
Chief of Police Anthony Marino and Fire Chief Alexander Coulter were in attendance at the presentation. Neither made a public comment on the new options.
According to USA Architects, all predictable costs are included in the estimates, except for office equipment or personal computers that may need to be replaced rather than relocated.
The contingencies remain sizable. Option four, the least expensive, contains design and construction contingencies of nearly $2 million, which, if they are not needed, will bring down the $16.4 million price tag.
Factors for price escalation of materials and general contractor overhead and profit are also part of the price calculation, but actual costs will depend on market conditions when construction begins.
It is increasingly apparent that a combined public safety building on the site of the firehouse and city museum is going to cost the city $12 to $15 million minimum, given the functional and structural designs in place.
Although the meeting took place in the council meeting room equipped with livestream capability, no streaming of the meeting took place.
The agenda for the advisory committee meeting suggested a potential presentation to the governing body in October.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.