McCarthy Building Companies and the City of O’Fallon, Missouri, on Dec. 2 celebrated the grand opening of the new City of O’Fallon Justice Center that includes the O’Fallon Police Department and Municipal Courts.
The new $26 million Justice Center features more than 96,000 square feet of space and includes state-of-the-art technology and training spaces, an underground garage and sally port and ample space for expansion as the City of O’Fallon grows over the next 30 years. The building was paid for by bonds from a property tax increase supported by more than 60 percent of O’Fallon voters.
Special features include a seven-stall indoor firing range and a firearms training simulator, a state-of-the-art training tool that supports marksmanship and judgmental training needs of law enforcement personnel and is one of the first in the area to be 300-degree surround. The project also includes 15 holding cells with separate cells for men and women, as well as two ADA accessible cells and one large group holding cell.
Lecture and presentation spaces feature a 70-seat tiered training room, a mechanical and emergency power system to serve the building, a 911 center, CSI lab space, offices, evidence storage room and a courtroom. The building will also contain a FEMA-rated storm shelter. Specially designed duty lockers provide maximum security for storage of the specialized equipment police officers carry while providing ventilation for body armor.
Cost savings enabled the police department to build out nearly 9,000 square feet of additional space on the second floor for future expansion to meet the anticipated growth of the community. By building this additional space concurrently with the scheduled construction, the city will save time and money, as well as reduce disruption to ongoing operations when the space is customized to accommodate a future use. Cost savings also enabled the City of O’Fallon to upgrade the facility to include better finishes, ceramic tile, carpet and vinyl wall covering, as well as additional outdoor space, a breakroom for employees and an outdoor canine training space.
