By Cass Rains, Staff Writer
Excessive rainfall and an add-on project have delayed renovation of Enid Police Department, but officials still are pleased with the progress made so far.
Capt. Brian O’Rourke said rain in October delayed the $1.4 million renovation about three weeks, as did an add-on project, which involves updating doorways and corridors to match the new construction.
“We’ve been de-layed by weather on some of our exterior work,” O’Rourke said. “When they were stop-ped outside, the work never stopped.”
When workers could not work outside because of the rain, they were able to focus on the interior of the building. The former jail, which is being remodeled for office space, is expected to be complete by the first of February.
The former jail at the police department totals about 6,038 square feet. Another 1,350 square feet of remodeled entry space and 1,500 square feet of new construction will be Ameri-cans with Disabilities Act compliant. The department’s administration area will contain 1,440 square feet of remodeled area and 1,920 square feet of new construction.
Another 1,216 square feet at the northeast corner of the building will be the second phase of the project, and O’Rourke said preliminary plans are for that area to become a training room, with locker rooms for men and women, weight facility and training area. He said the plans for the space could change.
Other unforeseen delays, such as construction deficiencies found during demolition that had to be corrected, also have contributed to the delay.
The project, originally estimated at $2.9 million, is paid for through a quarter-cent public safety tax approved by Enid voters in 2001.
O’Rourke said the add-on project was paid for by the lowest bid for the project coming in more than a $1 million below the estimate.
“It gives us an opportunity to expand the project and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” he said. “We are able to get more work done cosmetically due to the savings. We’re very pleased with the project so far.”
The police department building is the former Enid Memorial Hospital building, which the police moved into in 1976. It was built in the 1950s.
O’Rourke said the building also will be more efficient than it is in its current state and will feature added insulation in the roof and motion sensor lights that will shut off in unused areas for energy savings.
“We want to thank the public for providing the means to accomplish this project,” he said. “We are striving to minimize the inconvenience to the citizens of our community during construction.”
The project is being done by Diversified Construction, of Edmond.
