MOUNT VERNON — Gov. Mike DeWine signed a $4.2 billion spending bill Friday morning. Tucked among the provisions is $2 million for a new Mount Vernon police station.
House Bill 2 features $3.5 billion in the capital budget and $700 million in the One-Time Strategic Community Investment Fund. The $2 million for the police station came through the OTSCIF.
The new station is closer to becoming a reality thanks to State Sen. Andrew Brenner. Knox County is in Brenner’s 19th District.
“I personally want to thank Sen. Brenner for championing this project, which is so important to the City of Mount Vernon,” Mayor Matthew Starr said in a statement.
“I know the senator cares deeply about the importance of safety services on the municipal level. His efforts on this also show how important it is that governments at all levels work together. When that occurs, good things happen.”
“When we talk about infrastructure, we may begin by talking about good streets and reliable drinking water for our residents, but it’s just as important that the city’s employees have a safe environment in which to work,” Safety-service Director Tanner Salyers said in the statement. “Sen. Brenner really delivered on this one, and we can’t thank him enough.”
City officials unveiled plans for a new municipal courthouse and police station in May 2022. Both are located at 5 N. Gay St. However, the 50-year-old building is deteriorating, energy inefficient, and constantly needs repairs.
The city bought four parcels just off Public Square: one on East High Street, two on East Chestnut, and one on North Main Street. The parcels will house a new courthouse and city annex, respectively.
The police station will move to 71 Sychar Road. The city acquired the 2.5 acres in 2010.
New station key to phased-in project
The $2 million for the new Mount Vernon police station is the key to a phased-in project.
“To get out of the Plaza Building, we have to do this in a structured fashion,” Salyers told Knox Pages on Friday afternoon. “We’ll kick start that with the police station.”
The idea is that when the police department relocates to Sychar Road, other offices in the Plaza Building have the flexibility to move into its former space on the first floor.
That could reduce stress on the elevator and save on energy costs by closing offices.
“We’re paying $15,000 a month in electric bills because we don’t have energy-efficient windows and insulation,” Salyers said. “There’s no propane or gas, so we’re using all electric all the time.
“We’re just putting Band-aids on it.”
Once the police department relocates, Salyers said the city will work with the Knox County Land Bank to demolish the three structures on North Main and Chestnut.
“As we get plans and designs on these buildings, we can start the environmental and historical review process for the buildings on the square for the new courthouse,” he said.
Salyers noted the preliminary courthouse designs the city rolled out last year are not final, and said, “We want to preserve our historical colonial look that faces the square.”
Design work on the police station is further along than the courthouse. Architecture firm DLZ has completed a lot of the planning.
With the police station, functionality is key; energy efficiency and sustainability are primary over looks.
However, while functionality is important with the courthouse, Salyers said officials will emphasize the exterior look.
“What’s facing the square will retain the same look and colonial feel as what’s there,” he said.
Timetable for the new Mount Vernon police station
Salyers does not know when the state will release the $2 million. City officials will meet with Sen. Brenner next week about transitioning the funds.
Meanwhile, the city is searching for a project manager to coordinate the project.
Salyers said the city currently has about 10 infrastructure projects in the works, with much of the funding coming from state and federal dollars.
“We’re going to need exterior help to get things started,” he said. “We want to work with a project manager to escalate the time frame on this. We’re looking at how we can get shovels in the ground as soon as possible and do it with financial and operational sense.
“We’re under the gun because we’re taking state money, and we’re under the gun because the Plaza Building is not safe,” Salyers added.
Police Chief Robert Morgan said the $2 million award is fantastic news.
“As everyone working in our department knows, the current facility is not just out of date for a department and a city that is growing, but it’s also literally unsafe,” he said in the city’s prepared statement. “Moving into the new station on Sychar Road is going to be a huge morale booster for everyone in this department.”
An estimated cost will come with the final designs.
