Moscow police chief floats idea for downtown cop shop

MOSCOW - While tough economic times all but shot down plans for a combined Moscow-Latah County law enforcement center, Police Chief Dan Weaver Monday pitched a new proposal for a downtown cop shop.

"I think it has a lot of merit," Weaver said about the possibility of razing the Paul Mann Building to make way for a multipurpose facility. "We came up with a plan that basically involves utilizing the space where the Mann Building is." The building currently houses the city's engineering and community development departments.

In its place, a new building could be built in conjunction with city hall for an estimated $6 million to $7 million, Weaver said. "We would also put in space for community development and engineering, and some city hall space, too. So we'd be filling special needs for all city departments, not just the police department."

The department is currently housed downtown in a building that, during the 1970s, served as city hall and was home to all city departments. The city has since purchased and renovated the old federal post office building. City hall, the mayor's office and other business offices are located there. The new plan, Weaver said, could bring city governmental offices back together and "make kind of a city government plaza in one location with centralization of services."

City and county officials, encouraged by both Weaver and Latah County Sheriff Wayne Rausch, spent about two years exploring the possibility of building a joint law enforcement center. The proposal got to the point of hiring consultants and gathering information on possible sites in and around the city.

But when the economy began to slump, county officials announced the timing was wrong because all governmental budgets were being stretched and grant money was drying up. Weaver said the estimated cost of a joint law enforcement center soared to around $25 million. A substantial amount of that was linked to the purchase of land, possibly outside city limits, and construction of infrastructure.

When the county balked, Weaver said city officials asked him to put together a proposal for a new police station. "The advantage would be that we could keep the facility downtown." He said the public has indicated a desire to keep city departments centrally located. While the proposal is in its infancy, it already incorporates green building measures and sustainability concepts, Weaver said.

The police department currently has 34 officers and about 10 support staff, Weaver said.

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Johnson may be contacted at djohnson@lmtribune.com or (208) 883-0564.