Construction ramps up on police station as deadline approaches

Petersburg’s Police Department is scheduled to start moving into the newly renovated municipal building by January 17. Whether that deadline can be met is still unknown. But as Angela Denning reports, the department is looking forward to a much larger and more secure working space.

Outside the municipal building, the parking area is filled with construction materials and vehicles. The place is obviously a construction zone. But it’s all relatively quiet compared to what’s going on inside.

30 construction workers are busy building everything from walls, to windows, to stairs. They are in a crunch to get the project completed by the deadline.

Police Chief Kelly Swihart gave me a tour of what will soon be the new offices of the department. The new facility is doubling in size from the old space and increases security. It features new cells, an evidence room, an office for investigations, an interview room, and a training room.

All the construction in the new police area is supposed to be done by January 17, according to the contract, with police fully moved in by February 13. Swihart doesn’t know if those dates can be met at this point. If not, it would take renegotiating contract details between the borough, construction company, and architects.

After the police move in, construction crews will concentrate on the borough administrative offices which will be upstairs in the same building.

The total renovation project is expected to be completed by July.