MOUNT VERNON — Nearly three decades of waiting ended for Police Chief Robert Morgan last week when the city formally broke ground on a new police station.
CK Construction started moving dirt at the Sychar Road site on July 27 but stopped long enough for local officials to mark the occasion.
“This is a moment in the last 27 years I’ve been with the police department that I hoped would happen and at points in time never dreamed would happen,” Morgan said.
The new station is a major project for the city and a major expenditure for the department and community, he noted.
“When we set out to build this, we said, let’s not just build the police department for what we need right now. Let’s build the police department that’s going to serve generations from now on,” he said.
“Long after I’m gone, and probably long after most of the officers that work at the Mount Vernon Police Department are gone, this building will still be serving the community and serving those officers.”
Morgan said the 36,858-square-foot building provides room to grow as the city grows. It also enhances the department’s focus on training and community engagement.
“I believe what we’ve designed here is a state-of-the-art police department that will serve this community for generations to come.”
Police Chief Robert Morgan
The chief thanked administration officials, council members, Assistant Chief Andrew Burns, his family and officers, and Mount Vernon citizens.
“We have the most tremendous support in our community for our police department and our officers that I could ever hope for. And for that I am grateful,” Morgan said, “and for my staff, because my police department is nothing without my staff. I’ve got the best group of guys and girls in the world.”
A long wait
The police department is currently housed in the Plaza Building at 5 N. Gay St.
Built in 1974, the building carries high maintenance costs and is structurally unsound.
The city started setting aside $500,000 annually for a new building or major overhaul of the Plaza Building in 2018. Sen. Andrew Brenner secured $2 million in 2024 for a new station. The city plans to issue bonds to pay the remaining cost.
Mayor Matt Starr called the groundbreaking an auspicious occasion. He noted the thousands of hours spent on planning, design, and working with architects and contractors.
“I can’t believe we’re here, but … we’re seeing dirt move, we are seeing things happen. This is a new chapter. We have been thinking about getting out of the 5 North Gay St. building for decades,” he said.
“I can’t wait until we see the the fruition come to play here.”
Starr said the new station “is not your grandfather’s police station.”
“We’re going to be providing a lot of services here. It’s not just about punishment. It’s about getting people help who need help, being a support and being that beacon of hope that can help start people resuming and redesigning and turning around their lives to become wonderful citizens,” he said.
Investing in the future
BKV architect and project manager Brian Reising said the groundbreaking is about investing in the future of public safety and the officers and the staff who serve the community.
“The new police station was designed with that mission in mind,” he said.
“It will provide modern workspaces and improved technology, enhanced security, dedicated training spaces and flexible support for the department for many years to come.
“Most importantly, it will give the men and women of the Mount Vernon Police Department a facility that matches their professionalism, dedication, and the service they provide to the community every day.”
Pizzuti Solutions serves as the city’s representative in the project. Pizzuti’s Jim Russell said the groundbreaking is not about starting to throw dirt.
Instead, it is about creating a foundation for Mount Vernon residents.
“It’s providing them strength and security and being part of a promise that was made to all of you many years ago. Being a part of delivering that is an awesome experience for all of us,” he said.
While Pizzuti and CK Construction focus on the physical structure, Russell said the real focus is creating a proper home for the men and women who bring their courage to the facility every day and ensuring they have a facility that meets their needs, not only on a daily basis but throughout the lifetime of the facility.
“At the end of the day, it’s about what builds a good department. We’re very fortunate to be able to partner with the chief and all of the officers here to create and be part of giving back to the department who are giving so much for the community,” he said.
