Finance Committee - 12/18/2019 Page 2
ON THE QUESTION
Mayor Donchess
Lieutenant you’re here on this | think. Could you just address how we’re doing on the HVAC project, and the
windows, and all that? Hopefully that’s coming along well. How does this if it does relate to that?
Lt. Carlos Camacho
Absolutely. Good evening. I’m Carlos Camacho - Lieutenant with the Nashua Police Department. So just to
answer those questions, the HVAC project is still a go. It’s still going to go on as planned. The window project
is completed. All the windows have been installed. There was no issue with that. They’re all up and running.
It looks great. Definitely made a big difference.
Mayor Donchess
No more snow coming in the last couple of storms?
Lt. Carlos Camacho
No more snow coming in which is a good thing. Based on those two projects, we decided that we need a
space needs assessment for the building itself. The Nashua Police Department was built in 1979. The
building addition was finished in 1999. Since the last major renovation in 99, a lot has changed in public
safety buildings and the department has outgrown its initial building dimensions. An architectural firm must be
contracted to conduct a space programming and future space needs assessment. Based on this needs
assessment, we will obtain data about our space needs in the original building which was built in ’79.
A major item of concern is retrofitting our detention area from a steel bar detention facility which was prominent
during the time the police department was built to a wall detention facility secured by clear doors which is what
the standard is today. Modern day detention facilities have moved to a softer approach to cells. They’re not
constructed with walls and windows and doors for security purposes. These cells prevent defendants from
self-injury due to the metal bars. They also prevent injury of exposure to officers or employees due to the
secure nature of the sealed cell. Having new cells is a more secure and humane way of holding defendants
which also minimizes the potential of lawsuits.
The latest major renovation completed in 1999 was constructed with the future of Nashua Police Department in
mind. The project projected the growth of the department and built into the renovation the possibility of
expanding vertically in the future. NPD future is now and the time has come to explore the option of vertical
growth of one or two floors to the renovated building. This assessment will review the 1999 structural
construction documents to confirm that this addition can accommodate an additional level. They will prepare a
space plan, level test fit study exploring the expansion of the building vertically and/or horizontally to
accommodate future space needs. They will prepare conceptual budget projecting the potential cost of the
proposed additions or renovations along with a final report of the findings and a PowerPoint presentation the
department can utilize to present the project to city stakeholders. It will also attend the city meetings to present
their findings. That’s something that will happen five to ten years down the road. We're just starting to plan
ahead.
Mayor Donchess
The source of funds is what?
Karen Smith, Business Manager
This is a capital project. This is for our building project.
