This is the second part in a four-part series on the Kirkland police department’s  post annexation expansion.

The future of law enforcement in Kirkland is centered on the Totem Lake neighborhood. The new public safety building will expand the city’s Municipal Court, give Kirkland Police officers more room and provide a central location for all law enforcement duties. The building is due to open in 2014.

“That’s huge for our response,” said Kirkland Police Chief Eric Olsen, noting the building will also be visible in the new center of Kirkland, near businesses and transit.

The expansion of the force due to annexation and a growing city has made the need for a change.

“In the existing footprint of City Hall we’re squished,” said Olsen. “We’ve taken conference rooms and converted them into offices. We have various divisions working out of smaller rooms, we’ve encroached into hallways. So between now and then what we have is what we have.”

The biggest expansion for the city will be with the jail facilities. The current Kirkland city jail only houses 12-14 beds.

That element drives how much space the city will ultimately need and how much money will be needed for the renovation construction. The renovation, of what is now the My Home Wholesale building behind Fred Meyer, is tentatively set to begin in July 2012. The city purchased the building on Sept. 1, 2010 for $10.5 million and has authorized $17.3 million for construction. The city also has $1.8 million for contingency.

The Kirkland City Council is considering adjusting the size of the jail but has emphasized staying within the budget that was first agreed upon.

The original recommended space requirements by city staff of 50 beds has been adjusted to 85-100, potentially adding 4,000 square feet or more to the project. City staff anticipates an update with a building layout for the original and adjusted estimates this fall.

“We need to take our primary constraint, which is budget and build as much as we can,” said Councilman Dave Asher, during a July 5 study session on the topic where city staff updated the council on the options. “That line is not stopping and we are probably not going to have an opportunity in 11 years to build another jail.”

The annual overall operating costs, no matter what the choice, will be in the multi millions of dollars. To have no jail and transport all prisoners to King County would be $5.4 million in 2012 and $9.1 million in 2025. The cost comes from transporting prisoners and the contract to house prisoners in those facilities. To maintain a 50 bed facility would be $4.2 million in 2012 and $7.2 million in 2025. And to maintain an 85 bed facility would be $4.4 million in 2012 and $6.7 million in 2025.

“I like controlling our own destiny so we are not subject to whatever these other facilities decide to do,” said Councilwoman Amy Walen, during the study session. “I think it is important to stay within budget that we set at the outset because this is our first big project after annexation. It is so important we show people we will stay within what we said we were going to.”

The current jail at City Hall was built in 1982. The majority of inmates spend less than 30 days in the Kirkland jail and only averaged 2.03 days during 2011. City staff is recommending to council that the facility be able to take inmates for up to one year. Approximately 16 percent of the prisoners of the KPD are female but the current jail facility is not equipped to house them. That ratio is important when designing a jail because the populations have to be separated.

“Prisoners are booked and released from jail 24 hours per day, seven days per week. More than 2,500 prisoners were admitted into the Kirkland jail in 2010. On an average day a prisoner is admitted or released from the Kirkland jail every two hours,” said KPD Capt. Michael Ursino in a memo to council.

The average daily jail population was 56 prior to annexation, with the overflow being contracted out to other facilities in the area. Between 2002-2010, the total daily population for the Kirkland Jail and all contracted facilities increased by 50 percent. In 2010, Kirkland had the seventh highest incarceration rate compared to population in King County, with Auburn topping the list with a 106.6 average daily population.

Projections show that by 2025 the Kirkland Police Department will have an average of 149-166 prisoners per day. Those contracted beds cost the city $1.6 million in 2011 alone.

“Fifty (beds) is really an unrealistic number because of the efficiencies that we gain from not having to transport over material distances,” said Asher. “The payback is just astronomical.”

It also takes up a significant amount of work hours.

“Transport consumes a significant amount of the corrections staff time … Staff estimates that as much as 35 percent of the total available corrections division staff time is consumed by transport activities,” said the memo from Ursino.

Assistant City Manager Marilynne Beard was quick to point out that there will always be a need for some prisoner transport to other facilities because there are some prisoners with special needs the city will never be equipped to deal with.

But a larger facility means more options.

“The city’s ability to maximize the use of alternatives in appropriate situations is currently constrained by a lack of physical space,” said Ursino in the memo. “City staff believe that the jail population can be decreased by as much as 30 percent through the use of alternatives.”

That 30 percent could conceivably bring the numbers back closer to 100 beds by 2025. Some of those alternatives include home detention, in alcohol cases a monitor can be given to the subject to watch for liquor consumption, work release, work crew, day reporting and mentoring programs.

The overall budget for the facility is set at $37.3 million from the issuance of limited tax general obligation bonds. Other sources of funding are a Community Trade and Economic Development (CTED) grant, a State Capital Request, city reserves and the proceeds from the sale of two city buildings.

The $7.6 million for planning design and engineering may be the most critical as the potential adjustment for more beds in the jail could lead to adding a second floor in the two-story warehouse store.

A second floor would also mean the need for a new roof. Deputy Mayor Penny Sweet asked city staff to take a look at what would go into make the roof a usable space as well.

“My approach from day one has been to utilize the space we have in this building because we are not going to get it back,” said Councilman Bob Sternoff.

Plans for the new facility also include a shooting range. The KPD requires more than 100 officers to get trained and qualified several times a year, said Olsen. Currently, the department contracts for range space with Issaquah.

“To pull an officer out of Kirkland to go to Issaquah to shoot, you’re talking probably 40 minutes each way of traffic,” said Olsen. “So that’s a huge loss of a resource. To be able to have that facility right there in Kirkland, the benefit it gives back to the city by having our officers in one place is huge.”

The architect firm Miller Hull of Seattle has been selected for the project.

The additional jail space, along with other space needs that have been identified, will increase the project size by 12,000 square feet.

Moving the KPD to the new public safety building will also free up room in City Hall for new city staff.

“The new public safety facility will be a tremendous asset, not only for the community, but also for the police department,” said Olsen. “Ultimately, my goal is to have rooms available for community meetings or make it a real center piece in the community so people can come to it for whatever they need.”

The additional construction will mean a review through the State Environmental Protection Act and by the city’s Design Review Board. Both processes will provide an opportunity for public comment on the project.

The city plans to keep the public updated on the progress of the project through a Web page and Neighborhood Hot Sheet, a project newsletter and “Totem Lake: On Track,” presentations to neighborhood associations, email notifications by request, the city newsletter articles and Currently Kirkland TV show highlights.