Idaho Falls Community Policing Facility groundbreaking scheduled
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A ceremonial groundbreaking for the Idaho Falls Community Policing Facility has been scheduled for April 28.
The Idaho Falls City Council approved the bid award for the Idaho Falls Community Policing Facility to Ormond Builders on Thursday.
This marks the final step before breaking ground on the first standalone and consolidated police facility in the history of the City of Idaho Falls.
“This will be the first police station ever to be built in Idaho Falls so we couldn’t be more excited to break ground on this historic facility,” Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper said. “This will bring all of our law enforcement officers together under one roof and give citizens a place to connect with police officers personally. We also have planned a small tribute to the history of the site, the longtime location of former commercial stockyards. Overall, the facility will serve to revitalize the entire Northgate Mile area. And when you throw in the fact that this is being built without any additional property tax burden on city residents, it is very easy to see why we are excited to begin construction.”
The total awarded bid amount was $23,847,576.00. That included a base bid of $23,827,176 with a Bid Alternate at $20,400.00, a unit cost #1 (removal of Unsuitable Materials) at $40.00/cubic yards and unit cost #2 (Rock Removal) at $115.00/cubic yards. This bid is in line with prior 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 Chief of Police Bryce Johnson said. “We are so grateful for the community members, city directors and staff, council members and Mayor Casper who have recognized the need for this facility and have contributed to seeing this through. To echo something else our council members said, ‘This isn’t just about the police, it’s about the community.’ This facility will allow us to be more accessible and engaged with our community and to enhance the services we provide, which is only becoming more important as Idaho Falls grows.”
Today, the department is currently split between 8 different buildings, with staff on a day-to-day basis at six of those locations. This fragmented approach negatively affects the department’s ability to be accessible to the public, to solve crimes, and to best address public safety needs in the city.
"If you can imagine somebody saying, you know, I need to report a crime or I need to talk to somebody, at the Idaho Falls police department," Idaho Falls Police Department Public Information Officer Jessica Clements said. "It's really hard to figure out where we're at and where you should go."
The Idaho Falls Police Department moved into its current primary location, the Bonneville County Law Enforcement Building, in 1978. Prior to that, IFPD had historically shared facilities with other City departments in City Hall, with the Idaho Falls Fire Department and even occupied a small space on the second floor of a building on Park Avenue. In the 127-year history of the department, IFPD has not yet had a standalone and consolidated police facility.
In 2003, the Idaho Falls Police Department was failing some of the standard police regulations for privacy and spacing. This has what led most of the department to start searching for other alternatives to expand.
In late 2019, the City of Idaho Falls purchased the Idaho Livestock Commission property, located at 701 Northgate Mile and commonly known as the “Stockyards,” designating it as the future home of the Idaho Falls Police Department.
In April of 2020, two firms -Architects Design Group, a national firm that specializes in police facilities, and NBW Architects, a local Idaho Falls based architect were selected to design the new facility.
In the coming weeks, Idaho Falls community members and visitors can expect to see work begin on the former stockyard property.
