The building that houses the Greenwood police and city court could close this fall for a $3.5 million renovation project that will make more room for employees as city services grow in the future.
The Greenwood City Council is considering extending an existing loan to pay $3.5 million to renovate the nearly 25-year-old building at 186 Surina Way and about $500,000 to purchase a gun range the police department has been leasing for about a decade.
While the building is closed for renovations, the city court, clerk’s office and police department would instead run out of the former Greenwood Middle School on Madison Avenue, which the city purchased after a new middle school was built on the southwest side near Freedom Park.
The 20,000-square-foot police and court building was constructed in 1991 and needs improvements to address the changes the city has made to what services are housed in the building, technology advancements in the past several decades and differences in how the police department operates, Greenwood Capital Projects Manager Kevin Steinmetz said.
While the exterior of the building is in good shape, the interior will be overhauled, he said. When the building was constructed, the city housed its 911 dispatchers at the site, a service that has since been consolidated with Johnson County, Steinmetz said. The police department will save space by eliminating much of its crime lab room, as that work is now outsourced, and cutting down on shower and locker space, which is used less now.
By rearranging the layout of the building, the city will be able to move its probation services from a temporary trailer on the property into the first floor of the building. Several private interview rooms and extra offices will be added for the city court as well, he said. Other repairs will include replacing the heating and air conditioning system along with the roof, windows and doors. The third floor, which is an unfinished attic, will be finished and the elevator will be extended to the third floor, and the space will be used for storage, Steinmetz said.
If approved, work is set to begin in the fall, and be complete by the end of 2018, he said.
The city also is considering purchasing the gun range it leases on Loews Boulevard near U.S. 31, which would save money long term, deputy mayor Terry McLaughlin said.
The police department began renting the facility, which was formerly Don’s Guns, in 2001. The city pays $40,500 to lease the building, which is also used as a training facility, Steinmetz said.
