New police building to open its doors in Kaunas
Today, Mindaugas Baršys, the Chief of Kaunas District Chief Police Commissariat (hereafter Kaunas District Chief Police Commissariat), officially accepted the symbolic key of the new building at Radvilėnų Plentas, handed over to him by the CEO of UAB Merko Statyba (hereafter MERKO), Saulius Putrimas. From now on, nearly one third of Kaunas County Police officers will work in modern, innovative premises adapted to their needs and those of the population.
Significant improvements in the working conditions of officials and better service to citizens
“It is a great pleasure to hand over this symbolic key and at the same time to officially announce that the design and construction, which lasted for more than two years, have been completed, so we invite you to settle in comfortably and work successfully in the new premises”, S. Putrimas, CEO of UAB Merko Statyba, congratulated the Kaunas County Police. Meanwhile, Mindaugas Baršys, Head of Kaunas County Police, was pleased that almost 350 police officers and employees from 10 different structural units will finally settle down in comfortable workplaces – such modern working conditions have been awaited for decades.
M. Baršys emphasised that the implementation of this project will not only improve the working conditions for officers, but also the visitors to Kaunas and the city will be able to feel comfortable in the service spaces provided for them. The new building is also fully accessible for people with disabilities. It is hoped that officers will find it pleasant and comfortable to work here, and that the modern environment will contribute to a better quality of service for citizens – which was the aim of this project.
“Any new police building is good news for officers, and the opening of such a large, modern and completely green police station is a double celebration. Our officers deserve to work in modern premises, and people who come to the police station must be served in a modern and fast manner”, said Saulius Tamulevičius, Deputy Commissioner General of Police, who attended the opening ceremony.
All the energy required is from renewable sources
The Lithuanian Police set the highest standards for this project, aiming to create an advanced and aesthetic environment for employees and visitors. The MERKO team managed to find the best solutions, implement them on time and successfully, despite the difficult time due to the pandemic. Thus, from today onwards, Kaunas County Police officers will work in a technologically advanced green building.
This building, built by the company, is the first A++ class energy-efficient administrative building in Lithuania, and almost all the energy needed for its operation comes from renewable sources. A solar power plant with a capacity of more than 300 kilowatts (kW) has been installed on the roofs of the administrative, storage and carport buildings, which will generate enough energy to fully operate the buildings. A geothermal plant is also installed to heat and cool the buildings.
A modern heating, cooling and ventilation system will create a high-quality microclimate and ensure comfortable working conditions.
The new building is not only modern, but also offers significant savings in running costs. In addition, the management of the building’s engineering systems is fully automated and connected to the overall building management system, which can automatically change the ventilation and air conditioning parameters and the lighting of workplaces.
Not only the residents but also the officers will have to learn the new address
Throughout December, officers and staff from various Kaunas County Police units, which have been located across a number of police-managed buildings in Kaunas, will move into the new building. From now on, it will host officers from Dainava, Žaliakalnis and Santaka police stations, as well as the Public Order Board (divisions of Community Activities, Licensing, Prevention and Organisation of the Service), the Service Department, the Criminal Investigation Board and several other departments. The population will also be served in the new building by officers from the Administrative Offences Unit. The changed address of these units, as the officers speak in jest, will have to be remembered not only by the residents, but also by themselves, who have been working in completely different places in Kaunas city for a number of years.
The building will be maintained by the company that built it
“Kaunas County Police officers will use the building without having to worry about its maintenance. We will take care of it because the Lithuanian Police was one of the first state institutions to actively and professionally implement public-private partnership (PPP) projects”, S. Putrimas emphasised.
According to the PPP project in Kaunas, about 6 400 sq. meters of administrative, storage and business buildings and spacious parking were built in the area of 2 ha. The duration of the project partnership agreement is fifteen years and the company invested EUR 13.5 million excluding VAT in the project.
Under the contract, MERKO designed and built the building and will maintain it for the next 12 years.
