Trying to move out of the same location they have been in since John F. Kennedy was president, the Durango Police Department is hoping to secure enough funds to build a modern and considerably larger headquarters elsewhere.
Currently located at 990 E. 2nd Avenue in a 15,000 square-foot, mostly one-story structure, the department has announced plans for the construction of a 45,000 square foot structure that would provide additional office, training area, and juvenile detention space.
In August members of the Durango City Council voted to put on this November’s ballot a question calling for a 5.4 percent mills property tax, as well as a half cent increase in the local sales tax, that would generate the $19 million needed to build the new station.
In a column for the Durango Herald, Mayor Sweetie Marbury endorsed the ballot proposals, noting that “closets have become offices” in the current station.
“It’s a maze of walls and doors that is inefficient and ineffective,” the Mayor added.
City officials say a site for the new station has not yet been selected and will be determined later, depending upon the results of the election.
By Garry Boulard
