Ark Valley News - Park City police building to undergo repair

Park City police building to undergo repair
By David Dinell
Last Updated: December 03, 2015

When Park City Police Chief Phil Bostian is in the department's squad room at its 53rd Street facility and looks east, he sees an unwelcomed sight: daylight through cracks in the wall.

"That's been going on for a long time," he said,

Now he and others say it's time to fix the wall.

That project will happen soon as the city council gave the go-ahead Nov. 24 to get the 35-foot wall repaired.

With a bid of $6,935 from general contractor Multicon of Wichita to fix the wall and a door, it's certainly not a huge expense for the city, but council members are watching each and every dime these days.

They're under pressure from constituents to get the streets fixed. Also, the department is scheduled to move into a new city hall as soon as it's build, so an additional expense at a building the police are going to move out of was not exactly welcomed.

On the other hand, they didn't want to compromise safety.

"I don't like to spend it, but we have to fix it," said City Administrator Jack Whitson.

Whitson told council members that he has money set aside in an emergency fund for situations just like this and Bostian has been operating below budget, so the repair can be covered.

After the police move out, the city's maintenance department will continue to use the structure, so the repair will pay off in the years ahead, officials say.

The building, at 200 E. 53rd North, was a former Sedgwick County fire station and constructed in the 1950s.

"It was build pretty well, but there were some modifications," Bostian said. That was done without proper reinforcements and now there are problems, such as mortar falling out.

So much is falling that officers are sticking paper towels in the wall to keep the air out. But the problem is only getting worse, Bostian said.

"It's affecting the structural integrity of the building," he said. "Now we're watching the wall move."

There was another bid, but that firm wouldn't warranty the work without hiring an engineer, which would cost several thousand dollars more, and it couldn't get to the project right away.

This will be the first time Park City has done business with Multicon, which member Jim Schroeder was concerned about. Whitson said he's aware of that.

"We'll be watching them," he said. "If they don't do the work right, they don't get paid."

The department splits its functions between the 53rd Street facility and offices in City Hall.