A look inside Maricopa’s new city hall, police headquarters

The city will hold an open house Sept. 19 for its new 45,000-square-foot city hall and 11,000-square-foot police administration building near White and Parker Road and Bowlin Road.

The public is invited to tour the new facilities noon to 8 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. 

Movers will take supplies over to the new city hall this weekend. City hall will be closed Monday as staffers get situated in their new digs.

The police department plans to begin moving supplies over to the new administration building following the Sept. 19 open house in order not to comprise any sensitive materials while the public is given tours. 

Members of the media, including InMaricopa.com, were given a tour Thursday of the two buildings. Here are some featured highlights: 

City Hall

• The new city hall is a two-story structure featuring council chambers and open office space for various city departments. The council chambers, development services department and the community services department are on the first floor. The city clerk staff will share work space with the community services department. On the second floor is office space for economic development department, financial services, human resources department, the city manager’s office and office space for council members.
• The building’s foyer includes a lounge area and an information desk where all visitors to city hall will need to sign in.
• Near a staircase in the building’s foyer, a black beam has signatures of city council members, the city’s executive leadership and project partners. The beam was signed last October during construction; the city broke ground on both buildings in April 2012.
• The new council chamber has room for up to 153 people. The words “City Of Maricopa” are prominently featured on a rock wall behind council member seats. City staff will be situated at desks near the front of the room between the council seating and public seating. A limited number of audio headsets will be available for the hearing impaired. The first official council meeting in the new chambers is scheduled for Oct. 29.
• A second floor conference room for council executive sessions is equipped with two TV monitors, an overhead projector and microphones built into a large table.
• The council members’ office space on the second floor is an upgrade from the current interim city hall at Wilson and Madison avenues where councilmen had to share a single office.

Police Administration Building

• Dead crickets were scattered around the floors of the new police administration building during Thursday’s media tour. Cmdr. Rick Clore said the crickets had been getting inside the open building partly through the ventilation system. The facility has been sprayed, and the building will be cleaned before its opening.
• The new building will have separate detentions areas for adults and juveniles. Clore said the law requires detained adults and juveniles to be separated. At the current police headquarters, there is only one detention area. Clore said when an adult and juvenile are brought in, one party has to go to a separate facility at the headquarters or is held in a parking lot area.
• There are 60 lockers lined in a hallway area where police officers can store their gear. The lockers are ventilated.
• An evidence storage room contains high shelves that slide horizontally on a track.
• A secure parking area outside the building is for department vehicles. Within this area is a section for impounded evidence vehicles that will be sectioned off in an enclosed fence.

There are 44 TV monitors in the city hall and police administration offices combined.