Colo. Police Department Eyes $38.6M Expansion, Remodel Project

As Erie's population continues to grow, the Erie Police Department is planning to get ahead of the curve and expand its space to serve the increasing number of residents.

The Erie Police Department expansion and remodel project is currently in the design phase, with the Erie Town Council approving in 2024 to pay about $2 million to Denver-based D2C Architects for design and engineering services. During a March 13 Town Council study session, Finance Director Sarah Hancock said the project design is almost completed.

The current police department facility, 1000 Tellen Ave., is 17,971 total square feet and was built in 2014. The expansion would build a two-story building west of the current one. The expansion and remodel were estimated to cost about $38.6 million in March 2024, according to the Erie website. A new estimate has not been provided to the town, but the design team has been asked to stay within that estimated budget.

Decisions of whether to pay for the expansion through bonds or through certificates of participation are still in discussion with the town, Erie police Chief Lee Mathis said. The town website states the certificates of participation avoid tax increases. A certificate of participation is a type of lease-financing agreement. Certificates of participation are often used by government agencies to pay for improvement projects, like the Boulder City Council using the financing agreement to purchase a Boulder Community Health property in 2015.

At the time of construction in 2014, the police department was expected to be able to serve 50 officers, but Mathis said the town has grown and is expected to grow much faster than that. The remodel and expansion would get the police department to about 50,000 square feet. With Erie's population growing every year, with a reported 9.1% increase in 2024, Mathis said the police department has to grow as the town grows.

"We're trying to build for that growth," Mathis said.

The police department currently has 48 sworn officers and 13 non-sworn staff, with Mathis estimating there to be over 90 sworn officers in 20 to 30 years as the town continues to grow. He said the town will "need more room for everything" as the population grows, including room for additional officer lockers and evidence storage rooms.

Mathis was part of the process of helping design the current police department. When the current facility was built in 2014, the town's population was roughly 20,000 residents and had 28 sworn officers, according to Mathis. While the design for the building was made to serve the town for 15-20 years, Mathis said the population quickly outgrew the size of the department.

"We didn't anticipate we would grow that fast," Mathis said.

Design for the police department expansion and remodel is expected to finish this year, with Mathis saying he hopes to break ground in 2026 at the latest.

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