Work is set to begin on Meridian Police Department’s new Real Time Crime Center shortly after the new year after the Meridian City Council voted Tuesday to award a contract for the center’s construction.

 

The council voted unanimously to award the project to Collinsville based J&J Contractors at a total cost of $814,000.

 

Bob Luke, of LPK Architects, which is leading the design and construction of the RTCC, said the city had several competitive bids and multiple local contractors showing interest in the project. To keep costs down, he said, the project was bid as a base bid for the main RTCC construction and two alternates the council could choose to accept or deny based on funding.

 

“The base bid has all of the basic pieces with one exception,” he said. “We have a couple of alternates we had. One was for an extra auxiliary air conditioning system that’s pretty expensive and not necessary, but alternate number two as for a generator.”

 

The RTCC, when complete, will allow MPD to monitor cameras throughout the city around the clock, provide crucial information to responding officers and helping to reduce and solve crime. That mission, Luke said, will require electricity to power the computers and screens, so a backup generator is a necessity.

 

After reviewing the bids, which were opened Dec. 12, Luke said J&J Contractors came in with the lowest and best bid of $748,000 for the base bid and $66,000 for the generator. Right now, he said, the recommendation is to hold off on the additional air conditioning system, which is redundant and can be added later if need be.

 

“We already have a separate system in there, and no-one feels like it’s really necessary,” he said.

 

With the contract awarded, LPK will move forward with securing the proper documents and bonds from the contractor to move forward with the project, Luke said. Factoring in the holidays, the paperwork will likely be completed in early January, with construction beginning later in the month.

 

Assistant Police Chief Patrick Gale said the police department is working to get the necessary equipment needed to operate the center once the work is complete. After the construction phase, he estimated it will take roughly 60 days for MPD to set up and bring the system online.

 

Currently out for bid is a contract for surveillance cameras across multiple departments, with MPD looking to install approximately 80 cameras throughout the city in high crime areas and other important places, Gale said. Once received, he said, those cameras will be installed and brought online so they are ready to be monitored when the RTCC is complete.

 

Additional cameras are set to be installed in city parks and public works facilities and will also be viewable from the RTCC.

 

In the contract, workers have 150 days to complete the construction phase, which will put the completion date around June 2025. Gale said he is confident the RTCC will be operational by August.