Letters to the Editor:

Dear Editor,
We are in! After several years of discussion and many long days of work, the Pittsburg Police Department has moved into its permanent home at 520 S. Greer. The men and women who work in this building would like to express our thanks to all those who made it happen and express to everyone our pride in the new station.
Below are some facts about the new station which may not be known.
It’s paid for. The City did not have to raise taxes, borrow money, sell bonds or issue certificates or obligation in order to make this happen. In this day and time that is an outstanding feat. The City Council hired an architect and tasked city staff to design a building that would fall in this category. A proposal, including blueprints and color drawings, was presented to the Council for their review. This task also included cost comparisons for remodeling other buildings. The new construction project was less expensive than remodeling. The Council then voted unanimously to accept the design as presented.
The Council then directed the plans to be let out for bids. Modifications were made to the bidding process in order to accept a wide range of bidders. The Council accepted the low bidder on the project. The low bid was accepted after verifying the builder’s references. There are specifications required of public buildings that must be met not normally required in residential construction. The new station has passed all ADA specifications/ requirements required by law of public buildings.
By selling the City owned building located at 132 Jefferson, the City was able to place a taxable property back on the tax rolls. This increases revenue for the City as well as other taxing entities through the collection of property taxes. The property the station was built on had not been on the tax rolls since 1999. As a side note, the property on which the station is located was deeded to a State agency. Had that agency followed through with their stated purposes, the property would not have been on the tax roll.
The building will meet the needs of Pittsburg Police Department for at least the next 25 years. The building is actually smaller than the two previous buildings but because of the design utilizes space more efficiently. In addition to this, we were able to include new technology that has already allowed us to identify a suspect in a burglary.
We have a little bit of landscaping left to do. Look for an open house notice in the near future-we want to show it off.
In closing, we would like to extend our appreciation to the citizens of Pittsburg. To the City Council and City Staff, please accept our gratitude. We know how difficult it is to take on a project like this. Please know that we consider it a pleasure to serve our citizens and will continue to do our best.
Richard Penn
Chief of Police