Politics & Government

Niles Police Station To Get Major Remodel

The long, daunting ramp and staircase will be removed and the building given a more attractive, welcoming entrance. Architects created an indoor staircase and elevator instead.

 

The Niles Police Department building won an award from the American Institute of Architects when it was created in 2005.

But rust and crumbling pavement have appeared on or near the long ramp leading to the second-story entrance, and the police department has received many comments that the ramp, as well as the long, shallow staircase, are difficult to climb, especially with snow and ice in winter.

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Earlier: Niles Police Station won award

On Tuesday, Andy Joseph, a senior designer in architecture with Wight & Company, presented to the Niles Village Board plans to demolish the ramp and staircase and replace them with a cleaner-looking entranceway.

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The architects drew up a plan that has a ground-level lobby which members of the public can walk into, then take an elevator or staircase to the second-floor lobby.

"I'm excited. It's really going to work well," said Niles Police Chief Dean Strzelecki after the meeting. The design will cut down on the time and expense the Public Works Department spends on removing snow from the ramp and staircase, he said.

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After Trustee Jim Hynes inquired how long the construction phase would take, Jason Dwyer, a project executive with Wight, said about four months, but since elevators can take a long time to procure, they planned to order the elevator in advance and not start construction until it was delivered. 

According to Trustee Joe LoVerde, the project will cost $1.4 million, and, if approved by the board, will be paid for by TIF Funds from the Milwaukee-Touhy TIF District. 

LoVerde expects the village board to vote on approval for the project at its next meeting.

There will be no ramps in the new design, so in the event of a fire or other emergency, Strzelecki said that people who use wheelchairs could use one of the other two elevators in the building (there will be three total) to go to the ground level and exit the building. Alternatively, staff or responders could carry them to the ground level, as is done in highrise buildings. 

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