By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
More visible progress is being made each day at the site of the new
Great Bend police station at the southwest corner of 12th Street and Baker Avenue. The 20,100 square-foot facility is expected to be
finished by next August, and Police Chief Steve Haulmark said his staff is
excited about the expanded space.
The nearly $8.9 million police station and municipal courtroom will include offices for each detective
and improved interview rooms for both suspects and victims.
"We'll have a soft interview room where you would take a victim or a child to talk to them, and it's not such a harsh environment," said Haulmark. "There will also be an interview room that is exactly like that...what you see on TV in all of the cop shows where it's not a pretty room."
The current police station on Williams Street was built in 1938 and is roughly
7,500 square feet. The new facility will nearly triple their space.
"The guys and gals that work for the PD (police department) will have a building that they are proud of," said Haulmark. "The role call room, briefing room, currently serves multiple purposes and there's not much room in there. The new role call room will be big enough to hold trainings. The guys and girls will also have locker rooms to get ready for work...two things currently combined in our undersized room at the PD."
A .10% sales tax increase approved by voters last year will go toward bond debt
for the police station with a 20-year sunset.