By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
A ribbon cutting for the new police station in Great Bend is tentatively
scheduled for Sept. 21 and the staff hopes to be fully working
out of the building by Sept. 29. Great Bend Police Chief Steve
Haulmark gave the city council a tour of the 20,100 square-foot facility Monday
night as the $8.8 million project is nearing completion. Haulmark highlighted
several areas, including the expanded male and female locker rooms.
"The lockers are two feet wide, two feet deep and each has a bench to sit on," said Haulmark. "They can change clothes before they leave if they want to. There will be electrical outlets in all the lockers so they can charge their phone, flashlights or whatever. A lot of officers are really excited about this."
The Justice Center will also house the municipal court on the north side of the
building. An expanded evidence room will include its own ventilation system to
prevent drug odors from spreading to the rest of the facility. The evidence
room also has expanded metal built into the walls for extra protection of
evidence.
Haulmark highlighted a public security feature of the police station in the
vestibule of the main entrance on the northeast side.
"Those exterior doors, somebody can come in at night even when no one is here," said Haulmark. "It's there if they need a safe place and they're trying to get away from somebody. The doors will lock. There will be a button to call dispatch."
With parking on Baker Avenue, along the east side of the Justice Center,
Assistant City Administrator Logan Burns discussed the possibility of making
Baker a one-way street with traffic flowing north. Residents would still be
able to parallel park by their homes on the opposite side of the street.
