Pass bond issue for new North Ridgeville police station

North Ridgeville needs a new police station. The current station, located next to City Hall, is too small, too outdated and too much in need of work to meet the requirements of the 42-member Police Department. Which is why voters would be well-served to pass an 0.81-mill bond issue, identified on the ballot as Issue 11, that would generate the $12.5 million necessary to build a new station behind the city's service garage off Bainbridge Road. Were the bond issue to pass, the city would collect a little more than $786,000 per year over the next 20 years to cover repayment of the loans needed to build the station along with interest. The current station was built in 1975. An addition was put up in 1996 and was supposed to get the department through another seven to 10 years, Mayor Kevin Corcoran told us this week. "We are well beyond that time frame," he said. The station has roughly 6,900 square feet of space. The new one would have more than 13,200 square feet. Time takes a toll on all buildings, and the police station is no exception. For instance, Corcoran said, a crack that recently developed in the holding-cell area needs an examination from a structural engineer. The department is also running out of room to store evidence, some of which is now kept off site. Other issues are small, but still important, including that the station doesn't have enough electrical outlets to charge the portable electronics that are a part of modern policing. "We want to build our buildings up to the needs of today and, hopefully, future-proof them," Corcoran said. For example, he said, the building should be able to accommodate the additional officers who might become necessary as the city continues to grow. When the addition was put on the current station in 1996, the city had about 20,000 residents. It now has more than 35,000. Corcoran said the new station would be big enough for a 60-member Police Department. He also said building the new station on land the city already owns would help keep the cost down. The location also would put the station close to North Ridgeville Schools' Academic Center and High School, meaning that officers could quickly reach those buildings in the event of an emergency. Unfortunately, that's something city leaders need to consider these days. If voters pass the bond issue, the city plans to break ground next year and Corcoran estimated that the station would take two years to complete. But he also cautioned that there could be delays because of high demand for construction materials. Another obstacle is a mountain of dirt that has accumulated over the last few decades on the land where the city intends to build the station. The city wisely put on hold a plan to move the dirt until after the election because it wouldn't be necessary to spend the money if the bond issue fails. "We still need to move it out of the way if the levy passes," Corcoran said. Once the Police Department leaves the current station, Corcoran said, he hopes to move Building and Engineering department offices located in the City Hall basement into the space. Given what the city would get out of the new station, the cost wouldn't be all that expensive. The owner of a home valued at $100,000 would pay $28.35 per year were the bond issue to pass. North Ridgeville voters showed they're willing to spend money to build proper accommodations for their safety forces in 2015 when they approved an $8.1 million bond issue to cover the cost of a new fire station. They should do the same for the Police Department by passing Issue 11.