“I’m very excited to see it coming to fruition finally,” said Councilwoman Marilyn McCauley during a recent meeting when council approved several zoning changes to accommodate the project. “Our police need the extra space and facilities.”
The department will gain 4,183 square feet to the facility on the western side of the Fairborn Government Center at 44 W. Hebble Ave. The entrance will be relocated from the north to west side of the building, according to planning documents.
The city hopes to award the bid for the project in January and break ground in the spring. Interior work could begin in the winter months, said Interim City Manager Pete Bales. He said the city hopes to finish the project by the end of 2017.
The expansion will include additional office space, a training room, locker rooms, space for the K-9 unit and vehicle bay.
“It will include increased locker room space just to accommodate all the extra equipment our officers are wearing these days and the increase in staff over the years,” said Kathleen Riggs, city planner.
The increase in staff includes female officers who did not have dedicated locker facilities when the station opened.
“We had the opportunity at the last citizens forum to tour the police building and you can see the changes over the years that were required,” said Mayor Dan Kirkpatrick. “We didn’t have any female police officers then. Now we do and we need a space for them.”
The station’s current public parking lot will also be converted to a lot for 25 police vehicles secured by a six foot aluminum fence with brick pillars with a sliding gate.
A message left with police administration about the project was not returned.
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