Politics & Government
What Should the City Do with the Police Station?
On Thursday, a special workshop will be help for council to discuss plans for a new police headquarters in St. Pete.
Plans for a $64 million police station may have been scrapped but the city is still exploring what to do with its ever-deteriorating police headquarters.
On Thursday, City Council will hold a workshop at 1 p.m. to discuss police station's future location, needs and most importantly, price tag.
, Mayor Bill Foster said he is willing to look at alternatives to build a new police station, but said any new proposed plan would come in under $40 million.
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“I don’t think anybody up here is going to support a ($64 million) project,” Foster told the council in light of current economic climates.
The existing police station has a near endless that have been put off because of the pending construction of a new police station. The city estimates immediate maintenance needs at the station could cost $7 million.
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"If we invested the $7 million to $10 million (for maintenance costs) ... and tried to renovate the buildings, all you would be doing is trying to bring them up to current code standards," said Michael McDonald with the St. Pete Police Department during a police station tour he was giving to the Council of Neighborhoods Association. "You wouldn’t be making any enhancements to the operational capability."
Major areas of concern that were shown to members of the neighborhoods association on the police station tour included:
- Toilets/plumbing on the fourth floor won't work.
- No ventilation system in evidence room.
- Lack of reinforced walls. No rebar.
- Inefficient evidence entry system.
- Cracks in Foundation
- Comm. Center radios in room only protected against rain/leaks with plywood.
- No prisoner holding area.
- Ammunition/explosives storage areas with no sprinkler system.
Thursday's workshop is at 1 p.m. at City Hall, Conference Room 100. The meeting will also be televised live at the city's website and on St. Petersburg TV.
Patch wants to hear from you, St. Pete. What should the city do with the police station? Where should it be located? How much should it cost?
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