This project will build a Hennepin County Sheriff Office (HCSO) Public Safety Services Division Headquarters (PSSD HQ) to replace the Enforcement Services Division Headquarters (ESD HQ). 

The current ESD HQ Facility is adjacent to the county’s Brooklyn Park Transfer Station at 9401 83rd Ave N, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and is the proposed site for an anaerobic digestion facility.

The new PSSD HQ facility will be located at the northeast corner of the Adult Correctional Facility (ACF) Campus in Plymouth. The project site will be bordered by Shenandoah Lane to the east, County Road 6 to the north, the ACF Women’s Section Facility to the west and adjacent to the Sheriff’s Emergency Communications Facility.

The current ESD HQ is used 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Since the Sheriff’s office taking occupancy in 1994, usage of the facility had changed including the need to accommodate a significant growth in personnel and equipment over the past 18 years. Daily activity from the Violent Offender Task Force, Investigations, Crime Lab, Water Patrol, and other Sheriff’s Office divisions have also increased the use of the facility and grounds.

The ESD HQ houses emergency response vehicles and trailers ranging from squad cars to large command vehicles, boats, and ATVs. Additionally, seized boats and vehicles secured for evidentiary purposes are required to be stored inside of the facility. All indoor storage and office space have been maximized. Due to increasing space needs and the failing infrastructure at the ESD HQ, a facility assessment for a new facility was conducted in 2017. The needs analysis recommended that the new facility should be approx. +/- 100,000 square feet total and house 116 vehicles or trailers.

In first quarter of 2022, the Hennepin County Designer Selection Committee recommended Contract A188710 Leo A Daly, as the design team for the new PSSD HQ facility.

Facility Services staff and consultants looked at several locations for the new facility. The ACF represents the best location related to building costs, ease of access, response times and activities, and proximity to the Sheriff Emergency Communication Center. 

In order to construct the PSSD HQ, the former 33,000 SF, two-level ACF Work Release Facility will be demolished. The demolition of this 1981 building is a separate Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project.

The 2022-2026 CIP includes a project budget of $32,00,000 for the Public Safety Services Division facility (Project Number 1006425). It is proposed that the prospective 2023-2027 CIP be revised to include the Schematic Design estimated project cost at $41,900,000. These increases include issues such as rising inflation, historic high escalation increases, labor costs and shortages, and material shortages and delays. In addition, the proposed design includes a number of building amenities consistent with the County’s Climate Action Plan discussed below. The new 24/7 PSSD facility will include unique features such as "hardened" areas not typical in most office buildings exterior envelope and specialized interior programs such as the Multi-Agency Communication Center (MACC), armory, and SWAT. The size of the garage is also unique in that it has large stall sizes and circulation factors to accommodate the diversity and varying size of HCSO fleet.

The project will meet Minnesota B3 guidelines and will include but not limited to the following sustainable technologies and systems:

-        Exterior and interior electric vehicle stations and infrastructure for more in the future.

-        Full photovoltaic/thermal retention hybrid panel array.

-        Industry leading geothermal system

-        High energy efficient heating and cooling systems

-        Reducing carbon emissions through electrification and limited gas use

-        Native plantings and maximizing tree conservation

The project Affirmative Action goals, Small Business Enterprise Program goals, Workforce Entry Program (WEP) hours will be determined by the Purchasing and Contract Services Department and will be based on the project’s scope of work afforded by the opportunity and upon availability of qualifying firms.

The Schematic Design Executive Summary Report has been distributed to the County Board, and a copy is on file with the Clerk to the County Board.

Current Request: This request seeks approval of Schematic Design for the Public Safety Services Division Headquarters, it authorizes the County Administrator to award a contract to the contractor offering the best value if the proposals are within the proposed budgets, and includes capital funding for this project in the prospective 2023-2027 Capital Improvement Program. 

Impact/Outcomes: A new Hennepin County Public Safety Services Division Headquarters (PSSD HQ) facility will meet the needs of the Sheriff’s Office, integrate within the Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility campus, provide a facility that is built for practicality, safety, and longevity, and allow for the anerobic digester to be built at the former site.