On November 7th, Kansas City Police Department cut the ribbon on its newest campus. The new South Patrol and Special Operations Division facility is a $28 million project at 9701 Marion Park Drive funded by a voter-supported quarter-cent public safety sales tax.
The facility is an environmentally sustainable project slated to achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating. The patrol station incorporates environmentally friendly technology, such as, a geothermal heating and cooling system that required the digging of 150 wells, each 400 feet deep. The facility also boasts large windows to take full advantage of sunlight, while otherwise using energy efficient lighting.
This is the first police station in Kansas City with National Park significance. Located on the site of the Hart Grove campground, a campsite for many travelers along the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon trails as well as the ill-fated 1846 Donner Party, according to the U.S. National Park Service. Swales, or wagon ruts, made by pioneers of days gone by are still visible there.
In addition to the main building, across a grassy plaza sits a building that houses a gymnasium, weight room and offices for the canine unit and bomb and arson officers.
Read more at the Kansas City Star.
Dr. Tony G. Reames 