WEST LAFAYETTE – The Redevelopment Commission meeting Wednesday will feature a presentation of a potential new “Public Safety Campus” that would unify a fire station, fire administration, and an existing police station. A companion study commissioned by the city found the project to be feasible.
The new fire station on the campus would replace current Fire Station #2, located only a few hundred feet away along the same street, West Navajo St. The 1963 station has shown its age with a lack of ADA accessibility, space to support visitors and administrative staff, and a bedroom designed for an all-male firefighting force exposed to toxic truck exhaust.
Additionally, the study claims the back-in design of the 1963 Fire Station #2 causes potential danger for firefighters and commuters when trucks return to the Station since traffic must be stopped, though the report does not further explore the level of risk or consider any solutions other than a pull-through design for the new campus, simply citing “current best practices.”
According to the study, the new fire station would provide almost identical coverage and would allow for space for EMS vehicles that does not exist at the current Fire Station #2.
The study also calls for improvements to the West Navajo St. police station, which would be incorporated into the proposed campus. The study projects that the 20 year old 29,015 square foot police station will become increasingly undersized in the next 30 years with a design operational capacity of 52 staff. The projections suggest that in the next three decades, operational requirements will rise to 45,600 square feet and a force of 70 staff at the station.
Training and fitness spaces shared between the fire and police staff, new living and working facilities for the Fire Station #2 crews, an elevated parking structure for police staff, and space for fire administration would also be provided.
Shive-Hattery, the architectural and engineering firm commissioned to produce the study, projects the campus would cost around $46 million.
The feasibility study, presentation, and meeting details for the March 22, 2023 meeting are all provided by the West Lafayette Office of the Clerk.