I’m conflicted about Raleigh’s proposed Clarence E. Lightner Public Safety Center. On one hand, it’s always irked me that Raleigh always seems to settle for mediocre, to go for the practical or least controversial option rather than aim for greatness. Raleigh loves to hedge its bets. Raleigh’s habit is to look only at the short-term. Putting aside the current economy, I like that the Lightner Center has been designed to be the home for our police and fire departments for many decades. I can think of very few things Raleigh has ever discussed that had that long an outlook.
There should be no doubt that our police department desperately needs a new home. The current police headquarters is an embarrassing ratrap that should have been demolished twenty years ago. The current 911 center is also a travesty. On a slow day the basement call center seems cramped and chaotic. I’d hate to see what it looks like during a major event like a hurricane. Pandemonium, probably.
The mayor’s point about now being the time to construct it is right on, too. Financing and building materials won’t ever be cheaper than they are now. Construction companies are going bankrupt left and right. They are desperate for work, and a project like this would provide a boost to the local economy. If the city waits, $30 million in interest savings could evaporate. That’s a lot of tax dollars, y’all.
Could the mayor and city manager done more to promote the building? Yes. Could the local newspaper done more to bring the facts to light long ago? Yes. Is a certain reporter at said newspaper nitpicking certain aspects of the project simply to stir up controversy? Yes. Would half-a-percent of the cost of the project be well-spent on public art? Yes, indeed. Can a so-called backpack bomb bring down a building? Not likely. But a backpack bomb is sure to do far more damage to the current tiny, unprotected building built in the early 1950s than it would a newer, reinforced one.
So why am I not totally onboard? The city needs to prove it’s value to the public made skeptical by the controversy-mongering reporting that’s thus far surrounded it. It needs a trusted third-party advocate to vouch for it. Or perhaps the city could compare it to similar projects in other cities. Also, perhaps the proposed location, the site of the current decrepit police headquarters, might be better used for a more lively retail project. Then there’s the prospect of a property tax increase, which is never good in any economy but is particularly unsavory now.
One thing that’s clear is that a new home for our police is long overdue. I’m confident our city leadership can agree on this point and fix whatever issues they may need to approve the project.