By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Many curious citizens and city officials gathered outside the new Great Bend Justice Center Friday morning for the official ribbon cutting of the city’s building to house the police station and municipal court.
Great Bend Chamber of Commerce CEO Megan Barfield said it is more important than ever to attract and retain talented individuals, and the nearly $9 million project creates the environment to foster growth and prosperity.
Mayor Cody Schmidt thanked everyone that made the new police station possible, especially the taxpayers.
"To the taxpayers...thank you," said Schmidt. "None of this is possible without you guys. It's been an honor and blessing to work with the council to bring this to the front of the table and talk about it. What we dreamed of is now reality. I can't thank everyone in this community enough."
The Justice Center is primarily being funded by a .10% sales tax increase approved in November 2021 by a public vote.
Groundbreaking for the facility, at the intersection of 12th Street and Baker Avenue, took place September 2022 and the ribbon cutting just over 13 months later.
Steve Haulmark has served as Great Bend Police Chief since January 2021, and was pleased for his staff to move into a building that nearly triples the space of the old police station on Williams Street.
"One of my first tasks was to meet with police personnel and community members to determine what we were doing right, wrong and where we needed to improve," said Haulmark. "Frequently I heard the facility was old, cramped and didn't allow us to meet the standards for the industry's best practices."
The old police station was built in 1938 and is roughly 7,500 square feet. The Justice Center provides nearly 20,100 square feet of space.
"While the men and women of the Great Bend Police Department are dedicated to serving the community, they were not afforded the opportunity to perform at their highest level," said Haulmark. "When these issues were brought in front of the community, they gave us their overwhelming support."
City officials plan to use the old police station, butted up against City Hall and the City Auditorium, as office space for inspection, property maintenance and possibly public lands departments.
Looking back at several of the police officers and staff, Schmidt added, "To the men and women behind us that this will serve, welcome home. Thank you."
