More than a remodel: Moses Lake examines new police station

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake could be getting a brand new police department headquarters.

At a regular meeting Tuesday, the Moses Lake City Council voted to study what it would cost to build a completely new police headquarters building, as opposed to simply remodeling the department’s current office building at the corner of South Balsam Street and East Fifth Avenue it shares with the Moses Lake Parks and Recreation Department.

According to Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr, the architect currently designing the remodel for the existing police headquarters said the remodel would only last about 10 years before the city would need to expand the facility.

“I just did a tour of the West Richland (police station); they just built a brand new building, just opened it last month,” Fuhr told council members Tuesday. “It’s bigger than our building, (and) has all the technology you could ever want.”

Fuhr said West Richland’s new facility is “built for growth,” and a similar facility would only cost a few million dollars more than the proposed police station remodel, and would last longer than 10 years.

Fuhr also said there’s simply not enough room at the current site for a proper police headquarters. He added that it might be better for a new police headquarters to be located on the edge of town, rather than as part of the Civic Center complex.

“So the question is, do we spend a little bit more upfront to build what we want and build a little bit for the future? Or do we stick with the footprint, put the money into it, and then 10 years down the road have to do it all over again?” Fuhr said.

The architect working on the proposed remodel estimated the total cost at around $7.5 million, Fuhr said. He presented that figure to the city council in January.

No project has been approved yet, Fuhr noted.

“I would rather spend the money to build new,” said Council Member Judy Madewell. “It’s a waste of money if we’re going to remodel this and then eventually have to go and build something new.”

Fuhr later told the Columbia Basin Herald that his preferred site for a new police station is on North Central Drive near the city’s Goodwill outlet.

“We’re growing out to the north, it’s near a lot of the shops where we spend a lot of our time, and it’s a good location for getting out into the city,” Fuhr said.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.