New police station ready for its close-up

VILLA PARK'S new police station, which dwarfs its predecessor on Ardmore Avenue, is now up and running. The police department will host an open house 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 14, inviting the entire community to explore the $4.2 million facility, which had been in the planning stages since August 2001. Construction began in August 2003 and took just over 13 months to complete. When the building was designed, space factors, environmental demands and a limited budget all had to be considered. In the end, the police department was given a facility of 16,000 square feet with an additional 2,500 square feet of renovated space in the existing building. In addition to a needed increase in office and work space, the new station features a conference room, a large classroom and a shooting range. (The department previously had to use the range at the Villa Park VFW building.) The new range contains an environmentally-friendly, state-of-the-art ventilation system. In addition, the new station will soon be certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program for new construction. Highlights include: permeable paving in the parking and driveway areas; landscaping using native plants to eliminate the need for pesticides and irrigation; recycled content in the masonry and steel structure; high performance windows for energy efficiency; ceramic tiles made from recycled glass; motion-activated lighting; green roofs on both the main roof and the sally port roof; daylight dimming of all light fixtures for reduced electrical consumption; and heat recovery ventilation. "It really is unique in DuPage County," said Villa Park Village President Rae Rupp Srch, who thanked State Reps. Bob Biggins (R-41, Elmhurst) and Lee Daniels (R-46, Elmhurst), as well as State Sen. Dan Cronin (R-21, Elmhurst) for their comprehensive work on behalf of the project. "Without their help," added Rupp Srch, "we wouldn't have gotten the extra money necessary to complete the project."