Grain Valley Police HQ

Building a high-end facility with value-engineering practices

Exterior view of the upgraded 21,000-square-foot police headquarters
Designed for future expansion, the upgraded 21,000-square-foot police headquarters includes secure holding cells, improved records storage and evidence processing areas, a fitness center, locker rooms, quiet rooms, conference rooms, a community room open for public use, and sufficient open-office space for staff. Photo by Bob Greenspan

For over 20 years, the Grain Valley Police Department has shared a humble office building with various city departments. As one of the fastest-growing cities in Missouri, the size of the police staff has doubled, resulting in a dire need for an updated facility and improved resources.

Kansas City-based construction company McCownGordon Construction has been involved in Grain Valley construction developments for several years. They were a natural fit to collaborate with architecture firm Hoefer Welker to lead construction on a new headquarters facility made possible by a recently passed bond.

This upgraded facility reflects the leadership’s commitment to cultivating a police department that provides the best public safety services to all members of the Grain Valley community, raising the bar for excellence within the region.

As the Grain Valley population continues to grow, recruiting and retaining high-performing police officers, enhancing morale and performance, and delivering a public safety facility the community can be proud of are all crucial elements to the city’s future success.

List of construction team, key personnelPRIORITIZING LONG-TERM GOALS

Designed for future expansion, the upgraded 21,000-square-foot police headquarters includes secure holding cells, improved records storage and evidence processing areas, a fitness center, locker rooms, quiet rooms, conference rooms, a community room open for public use, and sufficient open-office space for staff.

The building features an inviting entrance for the public with an abundance of natural light. Secure areas are positioned behind a bullet-resistant wall panel and glass, providing additional protection and safety.

“Specific to police officers, recruiting is key,” said McCownGordon market leader Arlen Kleinsorge. “There is a shortage of police officers, and building a new state-of-the-art police facility significantly improves their recruitment and helps to retain police officers.”

Kleinsorge has played a vital role in many of McCownGordon’s civic construction projects and highlights the importance of delivering exceptional construction solutions despite the challenges these projects inevitably face.

“Grain Valley is a growing community, and investing dollars in their civic buildings, such as police stations, will continue to attract more and more residents and businesses,” Kleinsorge said.

For the building to adapt to the growing community and department needs, the new facility features storage spaces that can be renovated to offices or records space with minimal disruption to the existing building. Additional storage space can be equipped as evidence processing in the future, along with installed rough-in for solar panels and electric car charging station conduits that will let the facility easily pivot to changing needs.

MITIGATING CHALLENGES FROM THE START

A unique challenge McCownGordon senior project manager Brett Taylor noted was that the project site was an old mobile trailer park.

“There were unforeseen wells and drainage ditches, and the site had a lot of ground water,” Taylor said. “Also, due to the adjacent airport just south of the project, there were certain Federal Aviation Administration height restrictions regarding crane use. The structure of the building was a challenge when erecting due to height restrictions. Therefore, the steel was erected without the use of a crane — a non-traditional way of erection.”

Another challenge of civic projects is budget, which McCownGordon’s team faced when spearheading construction on the new facility.

“Budget challenges early in the project were addressed during preconstruction,” Taylor said. “Some of these included adjusting square footage and height of the building in certain areas. McCownGordon also relied on competition in the bidding market and provided a long list of cost options for Grain Valley to choose from.”

McCownGordon’s approach to projects like this is to develop a partnership with the client early, so the client feels confident McCownGordon is a trusted advisor and looking out for their best interest.

“This starts during pre-construction working alongside the architect, in this case Hoefer Welker, and advising on costs, and presenting various cost options that allow them to stay within budget.” Kleinsorge noted. “At the same time, we want to still give the client all their needs and even a few of their wants.”

PUTTING VALUE ENGINEERING TO WORK FOR THE CLIENT

When it came to adapting the solutions to the budget, value-engineering efforts allowed the McCownGordon and Hoefer Welker teams to maximize the budget and deliver on the features and upgrades desired in the new facility.

One of the value-engineering solutions included constructing half-height block walls with drywall above instead of full-height burnished block walls. This enabled the building to maintain the durability of the walls in a more cost-effective way. McCownGordon also changed manufacturers for mechanical equipment, controls, lighting and exterior fencing depending on who provided the best budget options.

Applying economical solutions when it made sense meant that McCownGordon could deliver on all added cost options, including a building canopy extension, parking canopy, terrazzo flooring, metal ceiling system, epoxy flooring and additional wall tile in the restrooms.

McCownGordon committed to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and strong budget management practices throughout the project enabled McCownGordon to give savings back to the city of Grain Valley upon completion of the project.

Upon completion, the Grain Valley Police Headquarters will accommodate more people with their enhanced services and ensure a safe atmosphere for the entire community.


Image 1
The newly completed 21,000-square-foot police headquarters features an inviting entrance with an abundance of natural light. The facility will accommodate more people and ensure a safe atmosphere for the entire community. Photo courtesy Rob Greenspan
Image 2
Recruiting and retaining police officers is one of Grain Valley’s goals, and providing a state-of-the-art facility is crucial to those efforts. Shown here is a fitness center available to officers. Photo by Rob Greenspan
Image 3
Secure areas of the facility are positioned behind bullet-resistant wall panel and glass, providing additional protection and safety. Photo by Rob Greenspan
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In addition to upgrades geared toward officers, staff and the public, the new facility also includes secure holding cells. Photo by Rob Greenspan
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Value-engineering solutions elsewhere in the project allowed for several upgrades, including wall tile in the restrooms. Photo by Rob Greenspan
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McCownGordon provided a variety of value-engineering solutions where it made sense, which allowed additional design features to be delivered. Shown here is a spacious community room, which features tall ceilings clad in a metal ceiling system. Photo by Bob Greenspan