The City of Moscow is pleased to announce the grand opening of the Moscow Police Department on Thurs., Dec. 16, from 4- 8 p.m. at 155 Southview Avenue. The Moscow Police Department invites the community to tour the new Police Station as part of 3rd Thursday Artwalk. Moscow Police Officers and Staff will provide full tours of the facility as we celebrate the beautiful architectural space created by Lombard Conrad Architects and Wellens General Contractors. Visitors are invited to enjoy culinary creations by Le Biscuit Prétentieux while they tour the building.
The new MPD facility was constructed through the generosity of Moscow citizens. On May 21, 2019, citizens of Moscow approved the City of Moscow's proposal to issue municipal bonds to build a new police services facility, remodel the current police facility on Fourth Street and remodel the Paul Mann Building on Second Street.
Police Chief James Fry says of the facility, "Our officers are extremely excited and honored to move into the new station, which we consider a gift from our community. We want to thank the community for its support over the years. This new facility is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we will always remember that - to whom much is given, much is expected. We are honored to serve our community."
The bond was authorized in the amount of approximately $9.5 million. On Aug. 20, 2019, the City finalized the sale of the bonds for the project and received an exceptionally low-interest rate of 1.27%. This rate, which was significantly lower than the original estimate of 2.21%, provided a cost savings of more than $500,000 in interest expense over the 10-year term of the bond.
Mayor Bill Lambert notes of favorable rate, "The City's credit rating is a direct reflection of the strong financial policies and practices the City employs. I am very excited that we can keep dollars in the taxpayers' pockets with this news. Our commitment to maintaining a fiscally-responsible approach to all financial decisions through strategic planning and priority-based budgeting has certainly paid off in this project."
In addition to managing the costs of the projects and realizing cost savings wherever possible in keeping with citizens' priorities, the City has also worked to promote sustainable features in the newly-constructed facility. Features of the new facility include orienting the building for maximum passive solar gain and energy efficiency and solar-ready infrastructure to reduce building energy use and carbon generation offset. Other exterior features include a low-water-use landscape for water conservation, enhanced stormwater treatment to remove contaminants, and full-cutoff light fixtures to reduce light pollution.
The building envelope, the physical separation between the interior and exterior of the facility, includes enhanced insulation and window glazing as well as maximization of natural daylight harvesting to reduce artificial lighting needs and energy consumption. Mechanical systems improvements include air source heat pumps as a non-carbon-based fuel source to increase energy efficiency. As the City prepares for the near-term transition of the MPD's vehicle fleet to electric vehicles (EV), conduits for future EV charging infrastructure have also been installed.
Moscow Police Officers will begin operating from the new facility in Jan. 2022.