By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
When the groundbreaking ceremony for the Great Bend Justice Center took place last summer, the thought was to have the roughly $9 million project finished by August 2023. Construction and material delays and a drainage issue caused rescheduled openings to September, October, November and eventually December.
Housing both the Great Bend Police Department and Municipal Court, Police Chief Steve Haulmark said his department is tentatively planning on moving in next Thursday, Dec. 14.
"I enjoy taking the guys and gals over there for tours and seeing how excited they get," said Haulmark. "I say that we're excited, but that doesn't really say it well enough. You come back to our current facility and you see the state of what we're working in...it's going to be night and day. We just cannot wait to go."
The police department and city staff plan on moving the majority of their equipment and office supplies from the current station on Williams Street. Haulmark said the bigger items will be moved by The Gentlemen Moving Company.
The 20,100-square-foot facility will mostly be funded by the .10% sales tax increase approved in 2021.