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Memo - Comunications Plan '.4,. , Communications Memorandum To: From: Date: Copy: RE: Honorable Mayor and members of the City Council Bobbie Hartfiel August 24,2001 Communications Plan for the Facilities Redevelopment Project I would like to get the Council's input on the attached draft of the Facilities Redevelopment Project Communication Plan. The plan was drafted by staff and myself. Beside the Council's input, the draft cannot be finalized without the results of a September 5, Public Works site review as well as without some final cost calculations. Once all of the studies have been completed and the costs have been calculated, we should be able to determine a realistic public relations schedule and we can move forward immediately. Draft Facilities Redevelopment Public Relations - Decision Making Process - Business Objective: 1. Inform and educate community about the Fire Department's, Police Department's and Public Works' need for more space. 2. Receive community support for the redevelopment concept. Message: Strategy: Use traditional and nontraditional communication avenues to relay the message and gain support from the Hopkins residents, the business community and City employees. Communication avenues: word of mouth, TV, Newspaper, City Newsletter, Public Appearances, Public Meetings, Direct mailings Tactics (Action Plans) Task Responsibility Time Line City wide informational mailing. Information builds awareness and encourages involvement Face/face information sharing W/ 1 ih Street Neighbors Fire Department (if needed) Speakers bureau Steve, Craig, Don, Council Katherine Curren PT A HBCA Rotary School Board Hopkins City Employees HAMA Z&P Park Board Chemical Health Commission Human Rights Commission Open House/Tours Open House October 11 :30 -1 :OOp.m October 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Lets Talk Meeting with Steve, Craig, Don and Council community leaders Cable show Newspaper Articles Bobbie (Sun Sailor) Mayors Column 1 Draft Open House Booth Display/Information Pictures- All Open House Communication Outline Step I 1. Communicate history 2. Inform about the current status and the establish a sense of need A. Message: Current facilities limit our ability to provide the public with quality services. 3. Cost/Revenue Police Department needs Lack of evidence storage requires storing some evidence off site. Off site storage has no chain of custody necessary to admit evidence to court. All off site evidence is a guess that trial will not be held. No evidence storage of flammable or biohazard material. OSHA violations. Storage of evidence firearms not possible in current evidence storage. Evidence guns stored with department guns. No chain of evidence for court. Secure storage for drug evidence does not meet demand. Wall lockers not big enough for required officer's gear, not enough lockers for all officers. No place to park emergency vehicles in cold to retain temperatures required for computers, medical equipment carried in squads. No room for forensic computer examination-now done off site, some in officer's home No way for dispatcher to check for faxes after hours due to building configuration. To get after hours fax must leave 911 room and travel through two locked doors to fax machine in Records Room. Common use of fax to confirm out of county warrants Squad Room lacks space for shift briefings. Seats 4. 9 to 12 officers attend daily briefings. No secure conference room for major crime investigations. Must use public meeting space then remove all documents and surrender room for scheduled public meetings 2 Draft Records Division has desks for 3 clerks and 4 clerks use the space. Investigations Division has cubicles for 3 investigators and 4 investigators use the space. No interview room for victims must use public hall Secure interview room also used for evidence storage. Security violation. Room for Intoxilizer testing also holds biohazard storage and officer's coats. Records storage off secure sally port limits clerk access. If we have prisoner or holding vehicle for evidence clerks cannot access stored reports. Detention configuration does not meet current jail standards. Upper Bunks instead of single beds on floor level. No natural light in cells, no separation of juvenile/adult or felony/misdemeanor possible due to space. Dispatch Center not large enough for new radio/ computer changes in next two years. Configuration in basement of City Hall does not allow for good workflow. Officers for Sergeants isolated from officers workroom and investigators and located in detention area. Need for Sergeants and dispatchers to meet frequently means Sergeants must cross building through two locked doors to get to dispatch Male and female locker rooms not the same. Different sides of building. Joint locker rooms with separate changing areas now the standard. In recruitment of females important to show we treat the same, not doing that now. Lockers need to be bigger to hold required gear. Required to have change of uniforms on hand. Not wide enough for hanger. Squad bags owned by each officer must be stored in Sally Port. Squad room used for briefings also must serve as break room for staff. Not big enough for either, especially at same time. Space problems cause men's shower to be used for ballistic vest and raincoat storage, no shower facilities at all in women's locker room. . No spot in building for officers to charge flashlights or radio batteries like other neighboring departments have. Officers must do this at home. 3 Draft Fire Department Needs Fire department vehicles have changed in size. They have gotten wider, longer and higher. Our current station was designed for vehicles built in the 1950s. The fire engines and ladder trucks we have today are almost 2 ft wider and 3 feet longer than they were in 1950. Because the station was built for the smaller vehicle, we do not have much space between the trucks. After the emergency firefighters are cleaning equipment and preparing vehicles for the next emergency. This has to be done in the same space where trucks are being backed into the station. Firefighters paying attention to their work will not always realize that a truck is backing in. We.have had occasions where someone is almost backed over. The fITe engines and ladder trucks we have today are almost 2 ft wider and 3 feet longer than they were in 1950. As you step out of Engine 2 which is located along the south wall you have roughly 2 feet of space to step into. This may seem large. But when you are wearing full turn out gear it becomes much more difficult. The possibly of someone getting injured by falling from the truck because of a mis-step is very high and we have had some minor injuries occur. With the improvements to 11 th traffic from Excelsior does not always s.ee fire trucks backing into the s.tation. We have had on more occasions then I care to count of cars actually driving on the fire station's concrete approach and going around the back side of the fire truck as it is backing into the station. 90% of the fire station storage in located on the second floor. This requires firefighters to either lift the materials to store up over their head to had it up to the second floor. Or they carry it up the stair well which is also very dangerous. Ventilation of the diesel fumes has become a safety concern. Because we are attached to city hall, we are in violation of OSHA rules by not have an alarm system and an appropriate ventilation system. It is getting more and more difficult to recruit and retain firefighters. Most have more things to do in their lives then they have time. Without having some "perks" to offer it will become more difficult to get recruits to the point that we will have to take a very serious look at how we will supply fire protection services. Pubic Works Needs 4 Draft Step II 1. Communicate the process thus far A. Hired an outside consultant a. Space Study B. Show findings Options Discussed I. Joint facility here Advantages For PD and FD Share joint rooms, conference/training Disadvantages for PD and FD PD Change in footprint of building will have negative impacts on parking Restrictions in moving frame walls in basement areas will limit corrections to utilization problems Major re-model impacts on operations Cost II. Joint Facility - New place Advantages for PD/FD Ability to configure for all current needs Move to new building would not have impacts on daily operations that would come from remodel Share joint rooms, conference/training Open up Space in current building for other City Staff Disadvantages for PD/FD Isolation from other City Staff Police access to highway needs not the same as FD Cost III. Fire Moves - Police takes over FD I Advantages for PDIFD 5 I Disadvantages for PD/FD I Cost Draft Meets PD space and configuration issues with not change in footprint to building Dispatch use shared but in separate sites PD changes could be phased to have minimal impact on daily operations Construction delay by two phase proj ect Space would allow City Hall staff office expansion IV. PD Moves - FD takes over PD Advantages for PD/FD Disadvantages for PD/FD Cost Ability to configure for all Isolation from other City Staff current needs Dispatch used shared but in Space would allow City Hall separate site staff some office expansion also Construction delay by two phase proj ect Move to new building would not have impacts on daily operations that would come from remodel V. Entire City Hall 2nd floor moves to a new site Advantages for PD/FD Disadvantages for PD/FD Cost Footprint of building will still need to be altered to solve storage and j ail needs Politically hard sell Moving police operations to two floors may be problematic for evidence/prisoners VI. PD, FD City Hall Moves Advantages for PD/FD Disadvantages for PD/FD Cost 6 Draft Share joint rooms, conference /training Increased cost over other alternatives Easier interaction of staff Move to new building would not have impacts on daily operations that would come from remodel Share joint rooms, conference/training Current building could be sold Politically hard to sell Highest cost option VII. Use Public Works Site Advantages for PD/FD Disadvantages for PD/FD Costs Location Sites Considered Where Who Could Fit Alliant Tech Everybody, PD/FD/City Hall Knox Lumber Police/Fire EBCO Leased property PoliceIFire 7