Plans are moving forward to convert the former Oxford Township offices at 18 W. Burdick St. into a new substation for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Dept.
Last week, the township board voted 5-2 to contract with the Rochester-based Heins and Kwapis Architects to draw up plans for renovating the main floor and basement of the vacant 3,771-square-foot municipal facility.
The firm quoted township officials a price of $3,000 (plus $2 per sheet for drawing prints) to provide all the architectural, mechanical and electrical documents necessary for the project.
Construction will cost an estimated $90,000, according to the architect.
Supervisor Bill Dunn indicated the construction cost is high because of the need for restroom and shower facilities.
The public restroom on the main floor must be completely torn out, expanded and made handicap accessible. In the basement, where the deputies? lockers would be located, both male and female restrooms and shower facilities would have to be installed.
Trustee Sue Bellairs said showers would be ‘nice? to have, but they’re not ‘mandatory at this time.?
In order to save money, she proposed doing ‘the minimum that we have to do to get them moved in and then gradually add on the things they think they could need.?
‘We all want things,? Bellairs said. ‘I want things in my house that I can’t have.?
‘Maybe we can call the fire department and hose’em down outside,? Dunn retorted.
The supervisor said he considers showers a ‘basic necessity.?
Showers are needed in case officers get blood on them at a crime or accident scene, especially given the prevalence of HIV, he explained. ‘They’ve got a job to do and I think we ought to provide them with the basics,? Dunn said.
Trustee Charles Kniffen didn’t see the immediate need for showers. He pointed out the showers at the substation’s current location (Express Mini Storage, 2121 N. Lapeer Rd.) are currently used for storage.
As a ‘temporary fix,? Trustee Pat Fitchena suggested the deputies could use the fire department’s showers, if needed.
‘It’s not that far away,? she said.
Treasurer Joe Ferrari’s main concern was where the $90,000 for the renovation project is going to come from ? the police budget, which is supported by a separate, voter-approved millage, or the township’s building and site fund.
Ferrari favored using monies from the police fund. He argued that since the township’s providing the space, it’s the sheriff’s responsibility to pay for the necessary improvements to transform it into a substation.
When a landlord leases a commercial building, it’s up to the tenant to renovate the interior to meet whatever needs the business may have, the treasurer said.
‘We’re the landlord in this situation. We provide them the facility,? Ferrari explained. ‘Why should we do all the work and say, ‘Here, you walk in.? Business doesn’t do it that way.?
Dunn noted the $90,000 construction cost quoted by the architect is only a ‘ballpark estimate.?
The supervisor said construction costs could be significantly reduced by using free labor provided by sheriff’s deputies and prisoners from the county’s Trusty Camp, which is made up of low-level offenders who serve their time by giving back to the community.
‘There’s a lot of talent at the Trusty Camp,? said Dunn, referring to skilled trades people arrested for offenses like drunk driving. He noted the previous substation and the current location were largely constructed using free labor.