ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The project to build a new headquarters for the Allentown Police Department now has its creative director.
By a 5-1 vote Wednesday, Allentown City Council approved a $1.47 million contract for Alloy5 to serve as the architect and engineer. Member Natalie Santos was the lone vote against the measure; Ce-Ce Gerlach did not attend.
City officials were working against a Dec. 31 deadline to hire an architect and engineer with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Municipalities must allocate all ARPA funding through contracts by year’s end or forfeit any unused money, according to federal regulations
Council in August approved a $1.15 million contract for eventually approved a $1.15 million contract for Alvin H. Butz Inc. to serve as construction manager, and the company helped the city find its architect.
Alloy5 analyzed several areas but determined the Allentown Police Department’s main station next to City Hall is already in an ideal location.
Alloy5 was one of seven companies to bid on the contract, but it’s already played a major role in the project.
The Bethlehem architecture firm last year led a $50,000, six-month study to determine where and how to build the new station for a growing police department.
The company analyzed several areas but determined the Allentown Police Department’s main station next to City Hall on Hamilton Street is already in an ideal location.
The station is blocks from the heart of downtown and in the “government corridor” that includes the Lehigh County Courthouse and jail, Alloy5 Director of Development Bekah Rusnock said last year.
Alloy5 recommended Allentown officials expand the current police headquarters by more than 75%.
The company’s recommendation, which could become the plan, is to complete substantial renovations at the current station while building an addition closer to Hamilton Street.
The Allentown Police Department’s main station was built in 1963, when there were about 150 officers. The new facility will be built for a force of about 250.
Alloy5 principal architect Randy Galiotto said the 22,500-square-foot addition would be built first so officers can use it while renovations are made at the current station.
The project could cost about $37 million, according to projections. City council has put $9 million in ARPA funding toward it, and the city could issue bonds to fund the capital project.
Construction is expected to take about 18 months, and officials in February said they hoped to open the new facility in 2026.
The Allentown Police Department’s station was built in 1963 when there were about 150 officers. The new facility will be built for about 250 personnel.
