(Aug. 17, 2017) Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing and architect Tim Crosby of Crosby & Associates led a tour of the new town police station on Monday.
Taking the half-hour walk-through were Mayor Gee Williams, councilmen Thom Gulyas, Zack Tyndall, Dean Burrell and Troy Purnell and town staff.
Unlike the cramped confines of the current station adjacent to Town Hall on William Street, the new space, near the corner of Flower Street and Assateague Road, will include separate spaces for each officer.
Downing highlighted the still in-construction areas that will eventually become rooms for processing, interrogation, evidence, dispatch, record keeping and training. The building will include separate cells for adults and juveniles, as well as a full-service kitchen, training room, gym, and lockers for each officer.
In the current quarters, the room for juveniles is used for multiple purposes, including service as an interview/interrogation room, Downing said.
The building is also features many technical upgrades, including split-level heating and cooling system that Crosby called “min-splits on steroids” with a SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating that ranges from 28-33. He said normal systems are generally in the 14-16 range.
“It’s immensely efficient — it’s more efficient than geothermal,” Crosby said.
The station will also have a high-tech emergency operations center where planning for hurricanes and other weather-related disasters will take place.
“Instead of having to go all the way to Snow Hill for a weather alert … or if we have to go ahead and set up for any kind of evacuation for Ocean City, we’ll be able to have our partners come here,” Downing said.
He said training for as many as 30 officers could also occur in the space.
“Currently, we have to go to Pikesville for a lot of training because they don’t have a place in Worcester County, really, to do a lot of the training,” Downing said.
Crosby said the brick exterior design was meant to reflect the flavor of downtown Berlin.
“We think the building fits well on the site and does reflect back on his historic downtown,” he said.
The station is engineered to last for 50 years. Downing said police could move in as soon as January or February.
“The guys designed a wonderful building and I think we’re going to be really proud of it when it’s all said and done,” Downing said.
Taking the half-hour walk-through were Mayor Gee Williams, councilmen Thom Gulyas, Zack Tyndall, Dean Burrell and Troy Purnell and town staff.
Unlike the cramped confines of the current station adjacent to Town Hall on William Street, the new space, near the corner of Flower Street and Assateague Road, will include separate spaces for each officer.
Downing highlighted the still in-construction areas that will eventually become rooms for processing, interrogation, evidence, dispatch, record keeping and training. The building will include separate cells for adults and juveniles, as well as a full-service kitchen, training room, gym, and lockers for each officer.
In the current quarters, the room for juveniles is used for multiple purposes, including service as an interview/interrogation room, Downing said.
The building is also features many technical upgrades, including split-level heating and cooling system that Crosby called “min-splits on steroids” with a SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating that ranges from 28-33. He said normal systems are generally in the 14-16 range.
“It’s immensely efficient — it’s more efficient than geothermal,” Crosby said.
The station will also have a high-tech emergency operations center where planning for hurricanes and other weather-related disasters will take place.
“Instead of having to go all the way to Snow Hill for a weather alert … or if we have to go ahead and set up for any kind of evacuation for Ocean City, we’ll be able to have our partners come here,” Downing said.
He said training for as many as 30 officers could also occur in the space.
“Currently, we have to go to Pikesville for a lot of training because they don’t have a place in Worcester County, really, to do a lot of the training,” Downing said.
Crosby said the brick exterior design was meant to reflect the flavor of downtown Berlin.
“We think the building fits well on the site and does reflect back on his historic downtown,” he said.
The station is engineered to last for 50 years. Downing said police could move in as soon as January or February.
“The guys designed a wonderful building and I think we’re going to be really proud of it when it’s all said and done,” Downing said.