Greenwood City Council members and Mayor Carolyn McAdams toured the newly renovated Greenwood Police Department Tuesday at the end of a brief council meeting.
Architect John Beard of Beard+Riser led the tour along with construction foreman Kent Carter of KT Builder.
Hard hats were donned as the group walked through the Main Street facility, which is still under construction but well along toward completion.
All structural elements are now in place including the layout and framing of all sections of the building, a roof skylight, cooling and heating elements throughout the building and wiring for lighting.
Ground face concrete blocks are used in supporting walls throughout the facility, and a central two-story open atrium beneath skylights bathes the space with diffuse light.
The new facility will feature controlled access to the police station located behind the Main Street entryway and the new municipal courtroom. A wood acoustic ceiling and carpet will muffle sound in the courtroom, which has attached offices for the court clerk and judge’s chambers.
A court clerk window and city administrative office for the collection of bills and fines will also be located in the front section of the building.
The new police station features two floors of offices, a booking area with an interview room and DUI room, offices for warrants and domestic violence officers, a dispatch area, a squad meeting room/training space, a conference room that will have a Smart Board with internet access, and restrooms with showers and lockers for men and women.
Beard said Viking Range will donate appliances for a break room with a kitchenette.
The $2.5 million renovation includes a 2,100-square-foot addition to the existing building and is expected to be completed by May 22.
Chief Ray Moore said that there is plenty of room and flexibility in the new space to grow rather than be crowded out, as was the case with the old facility.
Beard said all lighting in the building will be LED to save on energy consumption and costs, and in addition to increased security throughout the building, each room has its own mechanical systems to regulate cooling and heating.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting:
• Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Beth Stevens introduced the current YELL (Young Emerging Leaders of Leflore County) class to the council.
The group of teenagers from area high schools heard from Moore before the meeting and stayed to observe city government in action.
Twenty-five students are selected each year as high school juniors to join the program in their senior year. April begins the nominating process for next year.
• McAdams reported sales tax collection of $438,588 in January — nearly $22,000 or 5 percent above collections from that month last year. Total collections for 2017 are 9.5 percent over last year’s collections at this time.
• The council approved a permit application for AT&T Southeast for construction or adjustment of a utility within the city streets.
• The council carried a motion to apply to Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks for financial assistance to improve the Yazoo River Trail and Arboretum.
Specifically, the trail crosses a deep ravine that needs a bridge constructed over it and trails need to be re-marked.
The grant the city is applying for falls under the 2017 Mississippi Recreational Trails Program and requires a 20 percent match that can be made up in cash or in-kind services or a combination of both.
• Ward 1 Councilman Johnny Jennings told council that the Elks Lodge on Sgt. John A. Pittman Drive wants to donate $2,000 to help landscape Rail Spike Park. The lodge will purchase $2,000 worth of landscaping materials to complement landscaping provided by the city’s grant funds dedicated to completing the park.
• Ward 4 Councilman Charles McCoy asked Moore to look into a grant program recently used to purchase 15 new patrol cars for the police department in Greenville.
• Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
