By MONROE ROARK
Staff Writer

Safety, lack of space and functionality were primary reasons for the City Council's approval of the facilities plan that includes the construction of a new $2 million police station.

While much of the discussion centered on the fact that a number of city departments are simply running out of room and changes must be made, it was not lost on anyone that moving the Police Department to its own secure location would be better for the police as well as all others concerned.

The police station is currently beneath City Hall, just a few feet from the city's library. Many city officials spoke with concern about a situation where suspects are routinely brought in handcuffs to the station in such close proximity to school children and other citizens visiting the library.

Once the new station is completed, the old station will be slightly reconfigured and house the Building Department and Planning & Engineering.

Other options were considered by city staff before recommending the new police station. Among those were a 4,000-sq. ft. expansion of the Public Works building on McIntosh Trail and an 8,000-sq. ft. expansion of City Hall. Both of those plans were seen as only temporary, stopgap solutions.

“Organizationally, Option C [the new police station] is far better,” said Councilman Jim Pace. “Options A and B are nonfunctional.”

The Public Works expansion was expected to only partly meet space requirements.

Staff felt that the City Hall expansion would create parking problems in addition to what already exists.

Property for the new police station already has been purchased just off Ga. Highway 54 in front of the Flat Creek wastewater treatment plan. In addition to the 5.5 acres acquired by the city, about four acres has been donated by Pathway Communities to serve as green space.

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