Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010

Russell Allen's response

City Manager Russell Allen called Monday to bring me to a greater understanding of Raleigh's need for the proposed Lightner Public Safety Center.

He took issue with my view that the proposed 17-story, $140 million, high-security tower - "Badge Mahal," some call it - should be built more cheaply and with fewer frills later, once the recession has ended.

"We ought to build it first-class, for the future," Allen told me. "This needs to be done well, benchmarked against what a city of 600,000 people will need."

Allen seems frustrated by the taxpaying public's apparent failure to embrace building a sturdy new high-tech home for Raleigh's Police Department, Fire Department, 911 call center, emergency response coordination, and information technology office.

"I can't tell you how many times people have said to me, 'Concentrate on public safety and basic services.' That's what this is. There's real value here that people are missing for the most critical things that cities need to do well. Everybody ought to be for it."

But half the City Council - Allen's boss - isn't even for it. The city manager can't expect citizens to rally behind what the council isn't sure of. (A couple of them are suddenly skeptics, after voting repeatedly to approve $25 million in planning.)

Allen argues that the building features no extravagances, defending a meeting room for 800 people, a café, and a viewing theater for the 911 center. He already took out private bathrooms and a fitness center for departmental brass.

Allen insists that Raleigh would be foolish not to proceed with it now and take advantage of unusually low construction costs and interest rates.

And it could be done without a tax increase for the next two years, Allen says. "There's a compelling need, it's the right time, and it won't hurt anybody in a recession."

I still question the wisdom of inviting unnecessary public traffic into the city's most sensitive building, despite Allen's firm contrary view. I think the plan tries to do too much.

And it seems to me that if Raleigh builds the Lightner Center, it should have full security screening in the lobby.

Allen's task now is to persuade the eight-member council that Raleigh requires it.

"I believe in this plan," he says. "It is well-thought-out. What we've proposed is what we need. Let's do this."

But that's up to his bosses, whom he has yet to persuade.