LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The Lincoln Police Department plans to spend $5 million to replace its decades-old garage after struggling to fix roof leaks, termite damage and a collapsing back dock.
The police department has already purchased a 13,000-square-foot warehouse to replace the garage that services police cruisers and the city’s more than 600 light-duty vehicles, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. The department also has plans for an 18,000-square-foot addition.
The extra space will accommodate expected growth in the city’s police vehicle fleet, said fleet superintendent Pat Wenzl.
“At some point in time, you just have to invest in the future,” said Wenzl, who has been planning to replace the garage with the department since 2005.
The existing garage has struggled to keep up with the growing city and its police fleet. Parking inside and outside of the garage has been an issue since the mid-1990s, and an additional storage garage for tactical vehicles and new squad cars has reached the end of its designated life span.
“We’ve been making do for a long time,” Wenzl said.
Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said that the department isn’t using any new taxpayer money, adding that the city funds are better spent on a new garage since estimated roof repairs alone have totaled about $600,000.
Plans for the new garage are still being designed, according to Wenzl. He said the department hopes to seek bids on the project in January and potentially finish in 2020.
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Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, http://www.journalstar.com
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