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Cleveland's $5.5M District 5 police station renovation — the largest permit in a $21M citywide program to modernize all five district stations — needs 6 low voltage systems with an estimated $330K in LV work, and nearly $1M across the three permitted stations.
Permit records show a $5.5 million exterior and interior renovation of Cleveland's District 5 police station at 881 E. 152nd St. — the largest of three district station permits now on the books under the city's $21 million program to modernize all five police district buildings. The 40,900 sq ft renovation requires six low voltage systems, with an estimated LV opportunity of roughly $330,000 — and nearly $1 million across the three permitted stations.
Project Overview
The District 5 permit covers a full exterior and interior alteration of the 40,900 sq ft station: new roof, interior renovation, with plumbing, HVAC, and electrical permits required and a solar installation to follow under a separate permit. It is one of three Cleveland district station renovations currently permitted:
- District 5 — 881 E. 152nd St., 40,900 sq ft, $5,548,710
- District 1 — 3895 W. 130th St., 33,400 sq ft, $4,859,258
- District 4 — 9333 Kinsman Rd., 34,000 sq ft, $4,656,462
Together the three permits total roughly $15.1 million — the visible construction phase of a $21 million citywide investment announced in October 2025 by Mayor Justin Bibb, City Council, the Cleveland Division of Police, and Leopardo Energy under the city's Raising Investment in Safety (RISE) Initiative. Conditions drove the urgency: council members touring District 5 found buckets catching roof leaks and mold on locker room ceilings. All stations remain open and operational during construction — a phasing constraint every trade on the job has to plan around.
Key Players
| Role | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | City of Cleveland | Division of Police; RISE Initiative capital program |
| Design-Build / Energy Partner | Leopardo Energy | Leading construction; guarantees $48M in energy savings over 20 years — pays the city the difference if savings fall short |
| Workforce | Cleveland Building & Construction Trades Council | Leading hiring for an estimated 376 local jobs |
The delivery model matters for subcontractors: this is an energy-savings performance contract, not a traditional low-bid GC job. Leopardo Energy is coordinating trade packages across five buildings on overlapping schedules, which favors subs who can commit crews across multiple sites and work in occupied, secure facilities.
Low Voltage Systems Breakdown
| System | Scope at District 5 | Complexity |
|---|---|---|
| Access Control | Secure-facility entry control, evidence and holding area doors, sallyport integration — CJIS-grade | High |
| CCTV / Video Surveillance | Interior and perimeter coverage of an active police station; evidence-chain camera requirements | High |
| Structured Cabling | Station-wide recabling during interior renovation; dispatch and records connectivity | Medium |
| Fire Alarm | System replacement across 40,900 sq ft with occupied-building interim life safety measures | Medium |
| DAS | Public-safety radio coverage (ERRCS) — non-negotiable in a police facility, re-verified after roof and envelope work | High |
| AV | Briefing rooms, community rooms, interview room recording infrastructure | Medium |
Police stations are among the most security-dense renovation types in the public sector: every system touches CJIS compliance, evidence integrity, or officer safety, and all of it gets installed while the station keeps running 24/7.
Estimated Low Voltage Value: $330K
The permit record carries no pre-computed LV value, so we apply Signal's public-safety renovation benchmark. Because this program's headline value is weighted toward envelope and mechanical work — roofs, windows, HVAC, and solar — we apply 6% of construction value, putting the District 5 LV opportunity at roughly $330,000, and the three permitted stations combined at an estimated $900,000+. With Districts 2 and 3 still to come under the $21M program, the citywide LV total should approach $1.3 million.
Skills & Certifications
- CJIS security awareness — background checks and compliance for crews in law-enforcement facilities
- NICET Fire Alarm Level II+ — occupied-building retrofit with interim life safety measures
- Access control / video manufacturer certs — Genetec, Lenel S2, Software House, Avigilon, Axis are common public-safety platforms
- ERRCS / public-safety DAS certification — NFPA 1225 in-building radio coverage, tested post-envelope work
- BICSI installer credentials — station-wide recabling
- UL intrusion / interview-room recording experience — evidence-grade AV integration
Market Signal: Cleveland Is Reinvesting in Public Buildings
Cleveland's public-safety capital wave goes beyond these three stations. The city is converting the historic ArtCraft Building into a new state-of-the-art police headquarters, fire stations are queued for renovations after what local coverage this month called decades of neglect, and the RISE Initiative has made building modernization a budget priority. The energy-savings performance contract model — guaranteed savings underwriting capital work — is spreading across Midwest municipal portfolios, and it reliably carries lighting controls, building systems, and security scope with it.
For low voltage contractors in Northeast Ohio, the signal: municipal public-safety work is the steadiest pipeline in the region right now, and the credential bar (CJIS, ERRCS, NICET) keeps the bidder pool small. Cleveland's five-station program is the anchor — position for Districts 2 and 3 before those permits land.
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