MLPD makes case for new $7M.station

MOSES LAKE — Even if the city of Moses Lake remodels and expands the current police department building, the Moses Lake Police Department will still need additional space in the near future.

“18,500 square feet is the immediate need,” said Richard Murakami, an architect with Seattle-based Rolluda Architects, during a presentation to the Moses Lake City Council on Tuesday.

Murakami said that need can basically be met right now if the current MLPD building is remodeled and the Parks and Recreation Department — which shares the building — is relocated. He estimated the cost of remodeling the building, originally constructed in 1977, at roughly $7.6 million.

“We looked at the existing station, how much space is currently needed now and in 10 years,” Murakami said.

The current building is roughly 11,000 square feet, with a 1,400-square-foot annex used for evidence storage and a 5,000-square-foot basement used primarily as a locker room, fitness space and training area, Murakami said. However, given how growth in the city is driving an increased need for law enforcement, MLPD will need an additional 6,000 square feet in the near future.

When asked about the cost by Council Member David Eck, Murakami said a new 6,000-square-foot building would cost around $7 million — the same as the estimated cost to remodel the current facility.

“Is there room on the existing site for 6,000 square feet?” asked Council Member Dustin Swartz.

“There is room, but it’s tight,” Murakami said.

Police Chief Kevin Fuhr said any expansion of the MLPD headquarters would push into Civic Center Park.

According to both Fuhr and Murakami, MLPD is now eyeing a five-acre site on Central Drive near Goodwill and across from Smulligans and the Paul Lauzier Athletic Complex for a new police department building. A new facility would allow the MLPD to site itself in a new building with at least 25,000 square feet at a projected cost of around $17 million, they said.

“We started with the remodel option, and we transitioned to a new building,” Fuhr said. “Further annexations (of land) will demand new officers.”

However, both Swartz and Council Member Mark Fancher expressed concerns about the cost. With an estimated cost of roughly $13.5 million, remodeling and expanding the current facility is still less expensive than the projected cost of building a new police station.

“I still have some difficulty with the math,” Fancher said. “$3.5 million. That's a lot of money. I’m not prepared to make that decision tonight.”

Swartz asked about other options as well.

“Is there some way of tackling this issue by building a satellite office?” Swartz asked.

Fuhr responded by saying it’s important for police departments in cities the size of Moses Lake to have one main office where officers can change and do their paperwork. Satellite police stations in Kennewick, Pasco and Richland allow officers to finish their reports, but most work still needs to be done in a main office.

Fuhr said he would like the city council to make a decision on the matter sooner rather than later, given that MLPD doesn’t have the space when it works with outside agencies like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It also lacks space for the mental health responder the county’s behavior health agency, Renew, will provide the MLPD, he said.

Eck suggested the city council can take the matter up when the Larsen Recreation Center is completed this fall.

City Manager Allison Williams said the proposed site on Central Drive, which would house a one or two-story police building, gives the city the ability to expand any new station built there in the future when the need arises.

“We have an amazing police force and they are operating in a substandard facility,” she said, adding that relocating the MLPD frees up a building for future use by city government as it expands as well.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com. Read more of his work on the Columbia Basin Herald app, available on iOS and Android devices.