Police HQ Moving
KSDK is reporting the St. Louis Police have purchased a downtown building to allow the relocation of their headquarters:
The City of St. Louis and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are putting money seized from criminal activity to good use. Nearly $3 million in confiscated monies was used to purchase a new police headquarters in downtown St. Louis. (full story)
There has been talk about the Police buying this building for a while, one reason I had a picture ready to go. Still unknown is what will happen with the existing police hq on Clark dating from 1920?
bIn June 2009 contributor Jim Zavist wrote a piece What to do with Police HQ? looking at the issues then facing the police board.
– Steve Patterson
Well at least they are staying in the city and not moving to Jefferson City 🙂
From what I gathered in a few articles they will still be using some portion of the old building.
So the Police are using drug money not to rehab the existing building but buy a new one? Couldn't they have waited and sold bonds? This is actually what municipal bonds are supposed to fund!
KSDK makes this sound like parking is a factor. The municipal garage is right across the street as well as the LCD garage.
Rehab of the current building was estimated to be over $75 million. Taking into account the changes that will be needed at the new building, it will still be substantially cheaper to move. Also, if you read the attached link, they did raise almost $10 million through a bond issue to renovate the current building. Those funds that were not used will be re-directed to the new building.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/l…
Two words for new use: luxury condos!
The larger issue here is that this gem of a building could not find a bidder at a fair market price.
BUT, I couldn't be happier for St. Louis' finest. They will get the first-class facility they deserve.
You know, the new building has striking formalistic similarities to the old one.
The Family Court – Juvenile Division definitely needs to expand. Staff have completely outgrown the Vandeventer location. This would be a good location and would bring all of the circuit's courts together.