Rexburg officials consider remodeling City Hall as a new police station

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) - After a bond for a new police station failed to pass, Rexburg leaders are looking for other ways to provide the Police Department with the upgrades it needs.

On Wednesday night, city officials met to discuss 3 plans and determine which options would work best.

• Option 1:
  • Wait a few years and try to pass another General Obligation (GO) Bond to build a new police station.
    • Land owned & paid for on Pioneer Road
    • New construction project could fix current facility challenges
    • Not located downtown
    • No known time frame for completion
  • Initial Cost Analysis:
    • Range from $16.5-$18 million
• Option 2:
  • Purchase an existing building in town and renovate it into a police station facility
    • Would need to locate and purchase where the building would be and renovate
    • May not address all station needs
    • No known time frame for completion
  • Initial Cost Analysis:
    • Range from $14-$16 million
• Option 3:
  • Build a new city hall office building and renovate the current city hall into a police station facility
    • Located downtown near public buildings and services
    • Has the most financial sources available
    • Allows planning to begin for both new city hall and police renovation
    • City Hall can have "smaller footprint"
  • Initial Cost Analysis:
    • Range from $13-$14.5 million

Officials say they are leaning towards option 3.

"We feel like is a good option and it's not necessarily a done deal yet," Rexburg City Mayor, Jerry Merrill said. "It's really what the city council instructed our city staff to do from here on out is to just kind of vet this option and make sure it really is the best option for us, that is, to take our current city hall and remodel it, make it more secure and turn it into a police station."

The current city hall building is far larger than the Police Station, which would offer more space for the officers.

"If our police station was still small, we would probably would just go ahead and make those repairs and keep them there," Mayor Merrill said. "But we're a growing city, which means our police force is growing. And even now they're kind of on top of each other over there. And, and they just need more space for things like to do training."

City officials and members of the Rexburg Police believe this would be a good option to give them the much-needed space.

Currently, they say the Rexburg Police Station is too small for the staff and there are leaks in the basement, where their evidence room is.

"The current City Hall is a very solid building and the offices have been remodeled and done very nicely," Mayor Merrill explained. "It's kind of like the current police station would be a one star hotel. This would be a four star hotel. We can't really afford a five star hotel. But this can be a very nice and very secure police station"

A decision has not yet been reached, as they await City Council's deliberations.