'Let's get everything on the table': Akron mayor talks about selecting new police HQ

In his State of the City Address last week, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik expressed the need for a permanent Akron Police Department headquarters, stating that the city "cannot prioritize public safety if we continue to let the current building deteriorate."

The department is currently housed in the 58-year-old Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center at 217 S. High St.

This week, Malik, city spokeswoman Stephanie Marsh and University of Akron spokeswoman Cristine Boyd shared more details of the police headquarters site selection process with the Beacon Journal. On Monday, the Beacon published information about 10 possible sites for the permanent police headquarters, including three proposed by UA.

One option is to renovate the Stubbs building. The other nine finalists were pulled from a larger list of 23 locations, all of which were chosen by city leaders, selected from a request-for-proposals (RFP) process or recommended by UA.

Over the years, Malik said, the city has considered one or two new police headquarters locations at a time. He said he made a Day 1 mayoral campaign promise for an upgraded police headquarters before his ultimate election to the position in November.

His administration, he said, has taken the approach of: "Let's get everything on the table."

"And I think our police force deserves to have a working environment that is productive, that's conducive, to them being able to be an effective department," Malik said. "And, so, we know the current building [in its current form] doesn't work for them — everyone else has moved out of that building now."

The Akron Municipal Court moved to the Oliver Ocasek building in November.

What would a new Akron police headquarters look like?

According to a document Marsh shared with the Beacon, the city is looking for these features, among others, for the police headquarters:

• A facility or a location able to house a building that is about 80,000 to 120,000 square feet. The building will need to accommodate interview rooms, private offices, cubicles, public spaces, conference rooms, classrooms, an exercise room and locker rooms.

• The location must be within a 1.5-mile radius of the Stubbs building.

• The Akron Police Department does not have to be the building's only occupant, and the department "is open to co-locating with other public safety-related organizations or other civic organizations that would promote community policing."

• Parking for 80 passenger cars must be available at the site or adjacent to it.

The city has hired consulting firm AECOM to review the 10 remaining possible sites for the police headquarters, Marsh said.

For existing buildings that could be renovated for police use, the city will commission research into structural, HVAC, plumbing and electrical requirements, as well as if asbestos remediation or other work is needed, Marsh said.

The other properties could require building razing or additional, ground-up construction, Marsh said.

Construction firm Welty submitted the RFP for the former St. Thomas Hospital site at 444 N. Main St., listed by the city as being owned by Summa Health.

Summa spokesman Mike Bernstein told the Beacon Journal on Monday that the hospital system did not submit the RFP.

Site input from 'key partner' UA made sense, mayor says

The three UA-proposed locations that are still in the running are university property, UA spokeswoman Cristine Boyd said. She shared more information about each of the sites:

• 145 College St., where Central-Hower High School was located, is being used by Akron Public Schools as its STEM High School. However, the school district plans to leave the building. "One option includes razing much of the building for future development," Boyd said.

• 178 Forge St. housed the former Wonder Bread and Continental Baking Co. plant before the building's demolition earlier this year. If the address were to become the new police headquarters, the university would still use space along Forge Street, Boyd said.

• While 353 Grant St. is the address of UA's South Hall for student housing, Summit County property records show a parcel with the same address to the south of the hall that Boyd said could house the police headquarters.

If any of the UA properties were to be selected for a new police headquarters, the university would look at which type of transaction makes the most sense, Boyd said, adding that it could be a conveyance, long-term lease or another option.

From the list that Marsh shared of 23 sites that city officials were formerly considering for the police headquarters, nine were put forth by UA, as opposed to eight sent through RFPs and six selected by the city.

And from the nine UA properties in the list of 23, eight were listed as UA property and one was listed as Akron Innovation Campus property.

Malik said "it was natural" for the city to approach the university about proposing sites for a new police department headquarters.

"They have similar needs, as well, and so it's natural to look at whether there might be some opportunity to collaborate," he said.

If the Akron Police Department does move onto UA's campus, Boyd said, the relationship between Akron Police and UA Police would remain the same.

Further, Boyd said, "UAPD is not considering merging with APD nor is the university considering outsourcing campus public safety services to the city."

Malik declined to comment on whether there have been any talks of a merger between the two police departments.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What would a new Akron police headquarters look like?