Petersburg’s Police Department is scheduled to start moving into the newly renovated municipal building by Jan. 17.
Whether that deadline can be met is still unknown, but the department is looking forward to a much larger and more secure working space.
Outside the municipal building, the parking area is filled with construction materials and vehicles. The place is obviously a construction zone.
But it’s all relatively quiet compared with what’s going on inside.
Thirty construction workers are busy building everything from walls, to windows, to stairs.
They are in a crunch to get the project completed by the deadline.
The new facility is doubling in size from the old space and increases security. It features new cells, an evidence room, an office for investigations, an interview room and a training room.
All the construction in the new police area is supposed to be done by Jan. 17, according to the contract, with police fully moved in by Feb. 13.
Police Chief Kelly Swihart doesn’t know whether those dates can be met at this point.
If not, it would take renegotiating contract details between the borough, construction company and architects.
After the police move in, construction crews will concentrate on the borough administrative offices which will be upstairs in the same building.
The total renovation project is expected to be completed by July.
