New police department coming soon

GLUCKSTADT — Construction on a new $8 million police station just off the Calhoun Parkway is expected to begin this summer.

The 14,000-square-foot facility will also house the municipal court and is the first building to be built by the city.

Assistant Police Chief Barry Hale said GP currently occupies just a handful of rooms at City Hall and says they look forward to having a place to call their own.

“We are excited and looking forward to it,” Hale said. “Chief (Wendell Watts) took lots of input from the officers on how this building should look.”

Gluckstadt City Clerk Lindsay Kellum said the groundbreaking is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 9 a.m. The public is invited to attend.

The building will be located at the corner of Gluckstadt Way and Church Road just south of Germantown High School at 140 Gluckstadt Way.

City officials expect the building to be complete as early as July 2024.

Construction estimates for the building currently sit at $6.9 million with an additional $800,000 to furnish and outfit the police department and court services, Kellum said.

The architectural plans drawn by Dean Architecture were approved unanimously by the city board at a regular meeting on July 11.

“We would like to thank Chief Watts, Assistant Chief Hale, Architect Alan Grant, P&Z Commissioners Sam McGaugh, Kayce Saik and Melanie Greer and our city staff for their tireless efforts in bringing this vision to life,’ A statement from the city said.

In April the city approved a resolution of intent to issue general obligation bonds that do not exceed $8 million for the purpose of constructing a municipal police department and municipal court building. The resolution passed unanimously. 

Kellum said the city is looking for grant opportunities to fund portions of the project as well and has already received $1,750,000 in appropriations from the state, some of which was spent on the design and planning phase.