MARSHFIELD, WI (WSAU) — City leaders in Marshfield are hoping that they will luck into a donated building that can become their next police station.
The owner of the Buffalo Building may be willing to turn it over to the city for free if consultants determine that it can be remodeled into a functioning police headquarters. Administrator Steve Barg says that the survey is nearly complete, and will be presented to the council early next month.
He describes the current police station as a “carved-up rat maze,” saying it has served its purpose and the city has made it work, but the time has come to move on. “It’s small and it is in need of renovation/remodeling. The hope has been out there for a new facility, but then you say ‘Gosh where do we get the property and where’s it going to be?'”
He says the offer to turn the building over to the city at no cost, with the current owner taking a tax write-off, could be a great solution that has fallen at their feet. But first, they need to hear the results of that survey from the consultants on Wednesday, October 4th. “We’ll get a sense of whether this project is likely to move forward. But there is a sense that if we can’t move forward with the donated property, this is going to be a hard one to pull off.”
Among the items on the department’s wish list are more office and evidence storage space, dedicated training areas, and improved functionality. Barg says having updated facilities is also important to attract and retain quality officers.
“You want a facility that is first-rate because you want to keep and attract people that are first-rate. And you want it to last for a long time. You want to be able to look back 30-40 years [from now] and say this building is still functional and being used. It still fits the purpose we constructed it for,” adds Barg.
Both the City Council and Police and Fire Commission will be involved in the October 4th meeting.
Other topics Barg discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- Cat declawing debate
5:30- New housing projects
9:30- Possible new home for the Police Department
16:00- Prep for Marshfield’s Rotary Winter Wonderland
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