ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania – The Allentown City Council voted Wednesday to award a $1,151,989 contract to Alvin H. Butz, Inc. to provide professional construction management services for the new police headquarters.
The headquarters would be located at 425 Hamilton Street.
Council members Natalie Santos and Ce-Ce Gerlach cast dissenting votes.
The vote contrasts with a vote on August 7, which postponed the matter to a budget meeting on investment projects that would have taken place after the presentation of the 2025 budget in October.
At the time, the administration warned that the delay could jeopardize $9 million from the American Rescue Plan, because the amount was earmarked for public safety by the council. ARPA funds awarded by the federal government to cities must be contracted by December 31, 2024.
Some council members told 69 News they voted in favor of construction on Hamilton Street back in February after Bethlehem-based architectural firm Alloy5 Architecture conducted a feasibility study.
They say this was just the next step in the process.
When the proposal was unexpectedly shelved earlier this month, a special meeting was called in the hope of getting everything resolved before the deadline for repaying the federal funds.
“We have a chance to get it right and put our police department in the best situation possible,” Allentown City Council Vice President Santo Napoli said at the meeting.
“So you would have two different police locations, so to speak, which would be more beneficial for the residents,” Zucal said.
City Finance Director Bina Patel said if the City Council had not approved the contract award, she is working on ideas to convert the money into revenue. Gerlach said she was glad to hear that and thinks the money could have been used to offset a potential tax increase.
The current 30,000 square foot building at the corner of 4th and West Hamilton Streets was constructed in 1962 and requires significant upgrades and repairs to meet current code, police and safety standards.
The police are currently also housed in a second building on 10th Street.
The cost of the new building is expected to be between 30 and 35 million US dollars.
City Councilman Daryl L. Hendricks said the City Council faced considerable criticism for its attempts to delay the matter earlier this month.
“Why was this decided in February and the tender was only published in May and we haven’t heard anything since then, until now,” Hendricks said. “And then suddenly we asked for a short delay and there was a lot of criticism; unfair criticism from the public, including from some very influential people in the public.”
“You know, we didn’t want to drag this out forever, but we just wanted to get answers ourselves because we hadn’t heard anything in a long time,” Hendricks added.
City Councilwoman Candida Affa told 69 News the city received about 25 letters following the earlier vote to postpone.
“Oh, they were terrible,” she said. “Everyone is afraid of losing $9 million, and that’s not something that might or could happen. It’s going to happen.”
Before the meeting, Councilman Ed Zucal told 69 News he had voted for the postponement in early August because he believed the money could be better spent elsewhere, such as on the 10th Street police station.
City Councillor Santo Napoli expressed his satisfaction with the progress made in concluding the contract.
“I’m glad we’re voting on this tonight,” Napoli said. “We’ve all read articles over the last year about the problems at these (current police) facilities, either at 10th and Hamilton or the one next door, and this is an opportunity to invest in our public safety for our community. Investments like this are long-term investments over 50 years. And we have an opportunity to get it right and give our police the best facilities possible.”
Napoli added that a state-of-the-art facility will help retain current officers and attract new recruits.
City Treasurer Jeff Glazier said the administration spent a lot of time soliciting bids, which is why there was a delay.
“A construction manager RFP is a specialized matter and a very different process,” Glazier said. “There are different types of questions and requirements, and I think the departments, rather than rushing through it, took their time to make sure the RFP had all the details. And I think it’s fair to say that took longer than a normal RFP would have taken.”
Glazier further explained that once the city has hired a construction manager, it can proceed with the solicitation of bids for hiring an architect, engineer and all involved trades.
Napoli said it was disrespectful of the council to question the timeline.
“Our city staff has spent a lot of time and energy putting together these RFPs, soliciting bids and doing all the hard work, and now, on August 21, we’re asking these questions. I just feel like we’ve had ample time to ask questions,” Napoli said. “I just find it demoralizing and I think going forward we just need to get better at when and how we approach the administration on these issues.”
Council President Cynthia Mota disagreed, saying the council had a responsibility to ask questions in order to use taxpayers’ money responsibly.
Dave Benner, president of the Allentown Fraternal Order of Police, reminded the city council that it is contractually obligated to provide up to 80 parking spaces for officers at the planned facility.
“Our guys are more concerned about the safety of their cars than about a new station,” Brenner said.
Brenner also questioned the usefulness of housing all police forces under one roof.
“I don’t know what study would suggest concentrating all resources in one place,” he said. “What happens if there is a disaster or a civil uprising? Where do we retreat to? You would have two stations for that.”
“I don’t care who wants the building, the patrol officer I talk to would much rather stay here (on 10th Street),” Brenner added.
Napoli said the parking situation has been discussed and is being addressed by the parking authority.
The $9 million in federal funds will not cover the entire cost of the new police headquarters. It is expected to cost up to $37 million in total. The rest will be financed through a bond issue.
