GEORGETOWN – To keep up with neighbors, city leaders are proposing a new police department and a new public works department.
And they are asking for the support of the citizens.
On Monday, the mayor and city council voted 5-0 to move forward with the plans. A public hearing on the issue of up to $18 million in bonds has been scheduled for August 26, subject to referendum approval.
The hearing begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall at The Circle.
Mayor Bill West said this was an opportunity to show the community and property owners “what we want to do and how we want to do it.”
“We want to keep the officers. We want to keep the officers we have. We’re not going to keep them if we have them in a run-down place,” he said, adding that new police buildings in other communities have strengthened their departments.
“Millsboro is successful. Milford is successful. So it’s time for us to rise to the challenge.”
Georgetown boss Ralph “Rusty” Holm agreed.
“The current police station is inadequate in terms of space, security and equipment to accommodate the size of the police station,” he said. “In addition, the current configuration is old, outdated and cannot be modified to the existing structure. Simple requirements for visual and acoustic separation between male, female and juvenile inmates require alternatives that are less than optimal.”
The building department on Adams Street is also facing restrictions, the mayor said.
“When we order a tractor-trailer full of supplies, we have to block off the street and unload the goods on the street because they can’t get to the building department through the alley. It’s a nightmare,” he noted.
The police center itself has some history. The current building on North Race Street opened as a button factory around 1955, and officers began operating there on Aug. 29, 1992, Police Chief Holm said.
“The internal configuration of the building has been changed and adapted several times over the years to make better use of the space,” he continued. “Our police station represents our agency to the public, potential applicants and our employees. If your building is old and outdated, so is the perception of the services.
“Will the applicants attracted to an old, outdated facility be the type of officers we want in our agency? The same goes for the current employees who work in the building. Why stay in an agency with an old, dilapidated and outdated building when there are agencies with new facilities, new technology, better security and equipment to promote health and wellness?”
City Attorney Stephanie Ballard reiterated that the city could only take out loans after a referendum.
“We’re asking for a borrowing of up to $18 million. (But) I believe we’ll be well under that,” Mayor West said.
Potential sites for the plants have not yet been identified. If the city council decides to proceed after the public hearing, a referendum date will be set.
