Taking a leap into the future, Larson-Danielson and the entire Chesterton community help to make the new police station a reality.
Larson-Danielson Construction officially broke ground on the new Chesterton police station on Thursday, July 6. Local municipal officials and business owners were on hand to dedicate the new site of the station.
“This new police station is the foundation of an entire town, to forge a commitment together to maintain our historically safe community and to allow the Chesterton Police Department (CPD) to grow with our community, as well as to further forge our community-based partnership with residents and businesses,” said Chesterton Police Chief Tim Richardson.
The new police station will be located at 790 Broadway Avenue (Broadway Avenue and Eighth Street) in Chesterton. A two-story structure, the building will be approximately 10,850 square feet. Larson-Danielson of La Porte, Ind., has been named general contractor with the low bid.
“Having been working on public projects in Northwest Indiana for 115 years, Larson-Danielson is very familiar with the challenges and requirements that need to be addressed, and strives to build trust and camaraderie among everyone involved on a project,” said David Merkel, project manager. “We had the opportunity to work with Tim Richardson previously when he was the deputy chief of police in Michigan City when we completed its new station in 2016. We’re excited to have the opportunity to work with him again; this time in his role as chief of police in Chesterton.”
The base bid design includes a public (accessible) lobby with secure perimeter walls featuring a public access desk in front of 'Records', and public toilets. Also within that perimeter, the first floor consists of a training room, male and female restrooms, patrol room, processing room with interview, holding rooms and armory, and a sally port.
“With expertise on several projects related to law enforcement and public safety in the past, Larson-Danielson understands the demands these organizations require of their facilities and utilize our experience to deliver a project that exceeds the owner’s expectations,” Merkel said. “We take pride in our ability to deliver quality construction projects to public owners.”
The second floor includes the police chief and assistant chief's offices, investigative department bullpen and offices, interview rooms, evidence storage, a fitness center with separate locker rooms, showers and restrooms (for male and female officers) and a kitchenette/breakroom.
“The new structure allows us to further our programs and partnerships with the community, as well as a training hub for our officers,” Richardson said. “Our new building features a 28-person training room that will allow CPD to host professional trainings not only for our officers, but officers from other area departments as well. Most importantly, the new building has separate private locker rooms, restrooms and shower facilities for both our male and female officers, something our current building was lacking.”
Police Chief Tim Richardson said the town’s present police station is about 4,300 square feet. He has noted the town’s force of 27 officers has outgrown the facility and there are now no accommodations for women officers.
“The present structure was originally built in the early 60s as a volunteer fire station,” Richardson said. “In 1977, the former fire station was renovated to become the Chesterton Police Department. “Over the years, little improvements were made except for general maintenance, carpet, repainting at times, etc. This new facility was necessary to provide adequate space for the growing department, which currently has 27 full-time officers, five of which are female officers who work out of the CPD and one female communications supervisor.”
Technology enhancements with the new space will set the stage for the department to excel in this ever-changing profession, where more and more crimes are committed electronically or on the dark web. The new building also will provide a daily positive work experience for employees in an era where employee retention can be challenging, especially in the policing profession.
“Chesterton's new police station design will enable us to implement pivotal technology into our operations,” Richardson said. “This new structure will open the door to continued expansion of our law enforcement partnerships, not only in this county and state, but also with our federal law enforcement partners. These partnerships not only expand our reach, they allow for highly technical law enforcement support during times of crisis.
“Our new police station truly represents a community effort from start to finish,” Richardson said. “I would like to acknowledge Councilwoman Sharon Darnell and Councilman Jim Ton for their diligence and tenacity in seeing this building project to fruition. I would also like to recognize the remainder of the town council for their unwavering support of the project and funding. In addition, I want to thank town manager and Attorney Chuck Lukmann and the entire team at Harris Welsh and Lukmann, for their expertise. I also want to acknowledge and thank the citizens of the Town of Chesterton who have provided their wholehearted support for this project. Last, but not least, I am grateful for the generosity of the Urschel family not only for their generous contributions toward the project, but for their steadfast commitment to public safety in the Region. They are true community stewards.”
Larson-Danielson is no stranger to the Chesterton community. The firm recently completed construction of the new Ken Allen Law multi-tenant office building and is involved in several project for the Duneland School Corporation.
“We have a long and rich history of completed projects in Chesterton, and are very excited to have the opportunity to continue our contribution to the community’s built environment,” Merkel said. “We understand that it takes a lot of hard work and determination to get a project such as the Chesterton Police Station to groundbreaking, and appreciate the efforts of the town and its leadership in getting to this point. We are excited to play a part in making their vision a reality.”
Construction of the new Chesterton Police Station is scheduled for completion in approximately 15 months.
For more information about the Chesterton Police Station project, visit its Facebook page at facebook.com/ChestertonPoliceDepartment or its website chestertonin.org/155/Police-Department.
