Groundbreaking for Effingham Police Station

The official groundbreaking for the Effingham Police Station took place Tuesday morning.

(MEMBERS OF THE EFFINGHAM CITY COUNCIL TOOK PART IN THE POLICE STATION GROUNDBREAKING. FROM LEFT: MAYOR JEFF BLOEMKER, AND CITY COMMISSIONERS KEVIN WILLIS, DON ALTHOFF, MERV GILLENWATER AND KEVIN ESKER)

City Administrator Jim Arndt served as Master of Ceremonies for the occasion. Arndt reflected on the process that led to the ceremony. 

Arndt noted that a new fire station was originally at the top of the list but, when the new City Council took office and toured facilities, Mayor Jeff Bloemker felt the facility housing the police station was a bit of an embarrassment, and that moved the police facility to the top of the list.

The recognition that cramped quarters and a lack of secure facilities for evidence storage, for comfort for victims of crimes, and for interviews of both victims and suspects led to the need for a new facility.

(RETIRED CITY PATROL OFFICERS RETURNED FOR THE GROUNDBREAKING, INCLUDING JOHN MONNET WHO ALSO SERVED AS EFFINGHAM COUNTY SHERIFF AND ORVILLE "SCOOP" MERRY)

Arndt noted that the City first looked at existing facilities such as the former 5th/3rd Bank facility that instead became the home of the Suzette Brumleve Memorial Effingham Public Library, and the former Ameren building on North 3rd that became Dieterich Bank's corporate headquarters. The decision was finally to build a facility and to use the site of the existing police station building immediately south of City Hall.

Another consideration was where to house the police force while construction took place. After looking at existing options, again including the library facility, the decision was made to share quarters in City Hall. Mayor Jeff Bloemker gave up his office on the second floor and took a small office off the Council Chambers and Arndt said that started the ball rolling toward the shared facilities. 

Mayor Jeff Bloemker thanked those who have worked to get the project ready for construction and wished "Godspeed" to those who will be working on the construction of the facility.

City Police Chief Jeff Fuesting told his officers serving during the project to "cherish these moments...you are a part of history".

The 26,457 square foot facility is expected to take just more than a year to complete, sometime in late summer or early fall 2018. The construction cost is pegged at $6.89 million.