With construction progressing on East Peoria’s new $21.6 million police station, the city is taking steps to make sure the facility is ready to go once it opens.
At this week’s East Peoria City Council meeting, commissioners approved three separate expenses related to the 48,000-square-foot facility at 500 W. Camp St.
Among them is spending $268,400 on personnel, duty and evidence lockers, as well as evidence shelving, from Bradford Systems, along with installation.
Mayor John Kahl indicated the order, arranged through the cooperative purchasing program Sourcewell, is time-sensitive.
“We need to get that on order. There’s a lengthy lead time, and if we're going to hit the opening in July, we need to get this ordered now,” said Kahl.
In his memo to the council, Police Chief David Catton said the lockers and shelving are “essential to the functionality, safety and operational readiness” of the new police station. The agreement also includes installation and integration of existing equipment.
Another purchase authorized by the council is spending close to $120,000 for enterprise-grade wireless networking, switching and firewall protection in the new building.
The equipment and support from Heart Technologies is intended to meet operational needs and align with best practices for cybersecurity, network resiliency and performance.
Also, a $72,200 contract with Laser Electric will cover the cost of upgrading the traffic signals at the intersection of Camp Street and Clocktower Drive. The work aims to ensure safe vehicle and pedestrian access to the police station.
The upgrades include new signs, signals, pedestrian buttons, and battery backup.
