Scott Henderson, Project Director as well as Parks and Recreation Director, says they began the design process by forming a steering committee, composed of representatives from the mayor’s office, the police chief, facilities services, and others. The team sought out the best architectural and contracting firms available nationwide, and have selected the following ones for the project: VCBO Architecture of Salt Lake City, and Layton Construction, also in Utah.
The next steps are as follows: first, the team will conduct a spatial needs analysis with each city department to determine how much square footage they will need in the new building. Henderson says they’re taking into account constant adjustments, potential changes, and future growth. Next, they will design how city departments will be laid out in the building to maximize efficiency. After that, the team will design the look and feel of the interior and exterior of the building, which Henderson says is the “fun part.”
Provo City has already acquired the Firestone tire store, and will soon help the Rocky Mountain Drive Inn find a new location when its lease expires. At that point, the city will own the entire parking lot just south of its current building, on which the new Public Safety Building and City Center will be constructed.
The team is currently coordinating closely with the 500 West construction project in order to install utility lines in the road well in advance, to prevent the need to tear up the road again once the new building begins construction.