Supply chain issues, rain delays and other challenges have pushed back the Danville Police Department’s move into its new headquarters by a few months.
Early on, the main building was expected to be complete and the force relocated there in March. The department now tentatively expects to be in the refurbished former Dan River Inc. executive building off Memorial Drive by July 1.
“They [the contractor] didn’t anticipate what COVID would do to the supply chain,” said Danville Police Department Deputy Chief Dean Hairston.
The department hopes to have a certificate of occupancy sometime this month, he said.
Danville Police Department Deputy Chief Dean Hairston highlights the expansive new windows for the new headquarters.
“We will move into the main building,” he said. “They will have it finished a short time thereafter.”
Though officials hoped the department would be moved in about three months ago, the construction contract does not require project completion until August.
Blair Construction is the contractor for the $17 million project. Company president Tim Clark had hoped to finish it by April.
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“We did have issues with delivery and material,” Clark said. “It was a little longer than we wanted it to be.”
There were challenges getting steel and door hardware, he added.
“You always have high hopes for getting out a project early,” Clark said, adding that there are no additional costs to the city.
New features
The police department has taken the opportunity to add some features to the building that were not in the initial plans — including a back-up dispatch center where capacity can be increased if the center becomes overwhelmed with calls, Hairston said.
Danville Police Department Deputy Chief Dean Hairston gives a tour and update on the new police headquarters. The department tentatively expects to move into the new facility by July 1.
The back-up center could also be used to focus on disaster situations, in addition to officers at those scenes, he said.
Also, the center will be a “real-time crime center” where the department can monitor events and sites where closed-circuit cameras are installed, Hairston said.
“The system has artificial intelligence and can be programmed to look at types of behavior, it can identify the way someone walks, it can recognize weapons, it has facial recognition,” Hairston said during a tour of the facility this week.
It can also record sites and situations and read license plates. The back-up center will be installed when the department moves into the building or thereafter, he said.
The Danville Police Department tentatively expects to be moved into its new headquarters at the former Dan River Inc. executive building off Memorial Drive by July 1.
As for the closed-circuit camera system, the department began implementing the system about five years ago and continues to install cameras. About $75,000 is budgeted for the system per year, Hairston said.
There are cameras installed throughout the city, in areas including North Main Street, the River District and Sovah Health-Danville, he said.
To avoid delaying the project even longer, the department will be moving its switch system — which allows the force’s computer system to access its network — from its current location downtown into the new headquarters, Hairston said.
It would have taken a year to get a new switch, Hairston said, and about $12,000 will be saved by bringing its current one along.
Danville Police Department Deputy Chief Dean Hairston gives a tour and update on the new police headquarters. The department tentatively expects to move into the new facility by July 1. The lobby, pictured, includes protective ballistic glass.
New flooring and ballistic glass in the lobby have been installed. Stylish new carpet, tables, gun boxes, lockers and other items can also be seen inside the updated building.
Weights have already been brought into the new fitness room, enabling members of the force to work out at headquarters instead of having to go to a gym separate from the department, Hairston said.
The new headquarters will not only get the department out of a small, outdated location, it will also provide a boost in other ways.
Recruiting
“We think this will be a game-changer for recruiting, retention and morale,” Hairston said.
Due to historic tax credits for the project, the building’s façade must retain its original character.
Danville Police Department Deputy Chief Dean Hairston shows the lockers at the new police headquarters.
The new headquarters contains a maze of hallways, offices and rooms, including eight interview rooms, five evidence rooms and new evidence lockers.
Work has entailed clearing land behind the existing building of trees and construction of a new adjacent structure connected to the former executive building. The windows were also replaced.
The police station project is a combination of construction of a new building and historic restoration of the original Dan River building, which the city then will lease. The add-on building is about 15,000 square feet and includes a connector — or a hyphen — from both floors of the existing building to the newly built structure.
The addition will include locker rooms for officers, with the other two-thirds of the building to be a multi-purpose room for community events, graduations from the police academy, large meetings and other purposes.
The revamped main building will house the department’s various offices, operational space, police records, patrol and investigations. In addition, there will be more than 100 additional parking spaces at the property.
A new driveway — named Community Way — has been cut into the property and will eventually connect Bishop Avenue and Memorial Drive. The address will be 1 Community Way.
The headquarters’ entrance will be at Bishop Avenue and Community Way, while the Memorial Drive end of the new driveway will be the exit.
Also, a third building with three bays will be along Community Way and used to provide service work for police vehicles, including electronic repairs to vehicle technology such as lights, radios and other items.
The Danville Police Department tentatively expects to be moved into its new headquarters at the former Dan River Inc. executive building off Memorial Drive by July 1.
Before work began on the headquarters, the main Dan River Inc. building had what appeared to be 1970s-era interior, with beige and tan walls and faded and stained carpet. Scuffed and scraped dark-brown hardwood floors could also be seen.
Police officials expect the new headquarters to be more secure than the existing police location in the Municipal Building facing Court Street downtown.
Also, a courtyard where an outdoor community space will be located, will be used for public engagement.
An overall space needs assessment conducted for the city in 2016 found the Danville Police Department required an extra 25,302 square feet. The department occupies about 13,482 square feet at the Municipal Building, Green Street, Third Avenue and beneath the Ruby B. Archie Public Library.
A second study, in 2018, found the department needed nearly 48,000 square feet to accommodate its 131 sworn personnel and 17 civilian staff. The new location will add about 35,000 square feet toward that goal.
Dedication for the new headquarters is scheduled for Aug. 19.
