UMPD blue goes green with $12.5M building

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on July 25, 2008

A $12.5 million station for the University of Massachusetts police that will triple the amount of space for the department, and is expected to be among the most environmentally friendly buildings on the campus, is being planned for the corner of East Pleasant Street and Tillson Farm Road.

The new station, which will be located near the town of Amherst's north fire station to form a public safety complex, means UMass police will be leaving Dickinson Hall, where it has been situated in 8,000 square feet of space for more than 25 years.

UMass Police Chief Barbara O'Connor said there is a desperate need for the department and its 63 officers to have additional space.

<h4>Changing demands</h4>

"The demands and requirements on UMass police are changing, especially in light of Virginia Tech," said O'Connor, referencing the 2007 massacre at the Blacksburg, Va., campus and the protocols developed from it to keep college campuses safe.

The list of deficiencies at Dickinson Hall, which is shared with classrooms and the U.S. Reserve Officer Training Corps program, is a long one, O'Connor said. It includes not having holding areas for prisoners and those in protective custody, inadequate office space, clerical staff working in unsecured areas, no storage space for records and equipment, and no room in which to process or handle evidence.

About 18 months ago, the university began the process of studying a new police station, hiring an architectural firm to do a cost analysis. The funding is appropriated through the Board of Trustees as part of the campus building plans. The new station remains in the design phase, with a summer 2010 opening likely, O'Connor said.

The site was chosen because it was determined that, to have adequate parking facilities, UMass police would need 2.5 acres of land, which would be challenging to find within the core academic area of the campus.

Though Dickinson Hall is located at the center of the campus, making it easier for students and others to walk-in for filing reports, O'Connor doesn't believe the new station will be difficult to get to. She also doesn't envision any changes in response time, noting that as long as there is adequate staffing on the road and an overlap of shifts, the campus will be protected.

The size of the new station, at 25,000 square feet, is about the same as the Amherst police station's 22,000-square-foot building, which opened in 1990.

The new building will be clearly marked so that Amherst residents understand its affiliation with UMass. But if there is confusion, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

"If our presence enhances the safety of the Amherst community, that's an added benefit," O'Connor said.

O'Connor said the Police Department, working with the facilities and planning department, is hoping to make the new police station a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified gold standard building.

O'Connor explained that points are awarded for every aspect of the building, from how much natural light the offices get to the type of heating system installed, with the higher the score, the more green the building.

UMass spokesman Ed Blaguszewski said if the new station becomes a certified green building, it should be unique on the campus. Other buildings have had some green construction practices integrated, but not received certification.

"This will be the first time that UMass, I believe, is trying to have the designation for an entire building," Blaguszewski said.

There is still more design work on the building to do, O'Connor said. The actual appearance of the building, and whether it will be two stories, has not yet been decided.

The first involvement by Amherst town officials in the process of getting the building built will take place Aug. 13 at 8 p.m., when the Amherst Conservation Commission reviews a request for determination to find out where the wetlands are on the property.

Once these are delineated, UMass officials will likely also have to go before other local boards for additional permitting.

As for the future of Dickinson Hall, Blaguszewski said there is a need for more classroom space on campus, though it's not clear if this is how it will be used.