PRESS RELEASE:
Police and city officials will break ground Friday on new South Patrol and Special Operations division stations.
The ground-breaking ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at the site, 9701 Marion Park Drive, which is behind the Home Depot on Bannister Road.
The $28 million project is being funded by the ¼-cent public safety sales tax voters passed in 2002. It will include the construction of new stations for the South Patrol and Special Operations divisions; a multipurpose building that will have office space, a gymnasium, work-out facilities and back-up 911 center; two vehicle storage buildings and a fueling site; and kennels and office space for the Canine Section. The whole project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2013.
The 25-acre site on which these will be constructed is the former location of the Hart Grove Camp Ground, which was a stop for pioneers who were headed west on the Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails. Police believe the construction of several facilities on the site will spur development in the area, increase police presence and deter crime.
The media are invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony.
