photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Lawrence Police Department Headquarters, 5100 Overland Drive

Lawrence city commissioners will soon consider hiring a firm to design an expanded police headquarters parking lot — a project that could cost over a million dollars to build and would include solar panels and charging equipment for the city’s electric vehicles.

At its meeting Tuesday, the commission will vote on the $157,838 agreement with the consultant team Olsson for the design of the proposed expansion of the parking lot.

The 50,000-square-foot headquarters building, located at 5100 Overland Drive, was opened in late 2020 and was able to bring the department’s investigations and patrol divisions together. However, according to a city memo, the parking capacity for both the public and for secured spots was too low for the actual need at the building.

That meant some secured police vehicles were needing to park in the public parking area, and some members of the public in turn were forced to park on nearby streets. Crowding in the secured lot also creates access concerns for other emergency services.

The parking lot expansion is being proposed as a way to solve that problem while also doing something that was planned when the headquarters was under construction: adding solar panels and charging spots for electric vehicles.

The charging stations will be important because of the city’s Fleet Transition Plan, which aims to shift the city’s fleet of vehicles from gasoline-powered to electric.

Once the design phase is complete, the estimated construction cost of the project would be just under $1.2 million, but there is still a $500,000 funding gap for the project based on the funds allocated in the 2024-28 Capital Improvement Plan. Any construction on the project would be expected to start in the summer of 2025.

In other business, commissioners will:

• Consider approving $100,000 of fund balance to cover unforeseen expenses with the Parking Services department.

As the city has been transitioning the parking program from the Municipal Court to a more administrative process, the department’s office at 933 New Hampshire St. is undergoing a comprehensive remodel, according to a city memo.

The city commission approved an additional $60,000 in August to help cover more of the remodel, but around $81,500 in key department items are still unfunded. Those projects include $15,000 for additional office equipment and fiber optics and camera installation; $11,480 to cover the donation to the Douglas County Community Foundation as part of an amnesty program that gave 50% of funds to the DCCF; $28,000 to consultants to help with a parking rate model; and $27,000 to fund the remainder of the 2024 Passport system contract.

The city recommends an additional $100,000 transfer to the department from the Parking Fund balance, which currently has approximately $1.8 million.

• Receive an update from the Safe and Secure Outcome Team about the work of the Treatment and Recovery Center of Douglas County.

The TRC, which is operated by Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, helps improve behavioral health services and facilities by looking to provide assessment, treatment and coordination of crisis care for all people experiencing a psychiatric, substance use or co-occurring disorder.

According to data in a presentation from the TRC, through September 2024, the center has admitted nearly twice as many people to receive care compared to all of 2023. In 2023, 948 people were admitted, about 119 admissions per month. In 2024, 1,791 patients were admitted, a rate of about 199 per month.

The TRC’s presentation also notes that its staff has served nearly 50 more clients per month compared to last year and responded to nearly 100 more crisis episodes per month during 2024 compared to 2023.