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Sketch courtesy of Turner Batson
An exterior sketch of a planned expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama.
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Map ourtesy of Turner Batson Arc
A new addition to the National Computer Forensics Institute is planned to be built in the parking lot on the east side of the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama.
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Sketch courtesy of Turner Batson
An exterior sketch of a planned expansion of the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama.
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Sketch courtesy of Turner Batson
A sketch of a 250-seat auditorium planned for the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama.
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Sketch courtesy of Turner Batson
A sketch of training rooms planned for the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama.
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Sketch courtesy of Turner Batson
A sketch of a lobby planned for the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama.
The Hoover City Council on Monday night agreed to hire M.J. Harris Construction Services to perform a $21.3 million addition and renovation project for the National Computer Forensics Institute at the Hoover Public Safety Center.
The city received a $21.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to pay for the project for the institute, which is run by the U.S. Secret Service in partnership with the Alabama Office of Prosecution Services.
M.J. Harris will be adding three 35-person classrooms, a 250-seat instructional auditorium, 20 administrative office spaces, and dining and gathering spaces in an area just to the east of Hoover Public Safety Center off Valleydale Road, said Mindy Wyatt, a strategic analyst for the city of Hoover.
The project also includes some renovation to the institute’s existing space in the Public Safety Center, Wyatt said.
Map ourtesy of Turner Batson Arc
A new addition to the National Computer Forensics Institute is planned to be built in the parking lot on the east side of the Hoover Public Safety Center in Hoover, Alabama.
The National Computer Forensics Institute provides advanced training to Secret Service agents, state and local law enforcement officers, judges and prosecutors in digital evidence, forensics and cybercrime investigations.
The facility has been expanded several times since originally opening in 2008 and this past year trained more than 4,000 students, said Donald Witham the Secret Service special agent in charge of the institute. The expansion should allow the institute to train up to 8,000 students a year, Witham said.
Students who travel to the institute from across the country this year have spent more than 28,000 nights in area hotels and spent more than $2.5 million on meals, he said. Those amounts should double within four to five years from now, he said.
The bid from M.J. Harris Construction Services initially was almost $22 million, but city officials were able to negotiate the price down to fit within the available money from the federal grant after construction project management and inspection fees were taken into account, Wyatt said.
Shelby County also contributed $1.1 million for architectural and design fees, she said.
In other business Monday night, the Hoover City Council:
- Gave approval for Taziki’s Mediterranean Café to sell alcoholic beverages at its new location at 5880 Elsie Road in the Knox Square development across from Hoover Metropolitan Stadium
- Agreed to pay $25,500 to rent a truck-mounted LED video screen for the SEC Baseball Tournament
- Adopted a plan to spend $557,557 in state funds toward the estimated $631,330 cost of milling, patching and resurfacing parts of Shades Crest Road (on the east and west sides of Interstate 65), Shadybrook Lane, Mimosa Lane, John Way, Oak Lane, Hollister Way, White Way, Kent Way and Augusta Circle. The project will cover 2.9 miles and is expected to start in the spring of 2026 and take about 60 days to complete, records show.
- Approved an agreement for the Hoover police and fire departments to hold their annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony and Stair Climb again at the Riverchase Galleria on Sept. 6 at 9 a.m.
