Police station officially opens

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GALENA — Community leaders cut the ribbon for the new Genoa Township Police Station Tuesday morning.

The new station is at 6921 Big Walnut Road in Galena. It is on the northwest corner of state Route 3 and Big Walnut Road, across the street from the current fire station and old police station. The land was bought by the township for about $497,000 for the purpose of building the station.

“This site was determined to be ideal due to its visibility and proximity to the fire department on the opposite corner,” said the township. “A site survey has determined this lot to be buildable for a police station.”

The old police station was originally built in the 1970s and was no longer meeting the needs of the growing township. It was originally intended to be a park picnic shelter. During a 2016 assessment, it was found the facility had no insulation, security deficiencies, emissions from the fire storage, the sharing of locker rooms, lack of showers, roof and plumbing leaks, and not built to code or accessibility standards.

In the November 2018 election, Genoa Township residents passed a 0.8-mil property tax bond levy for the new building.

Horne and King Architects presented the final design and budget to the Genoa Township Board of Trustees, which approved the project in February 2019. The facility was reduced to 16,387 square feet and the cost to build, furnish and equip was $6,387,400.

The township was aided in receiving free fill dirt, as well as earning a AAA credit rating from Standard & Poors.

Last October, the trustees reviewed bids for construction from seven companies and went with Gutknecht Construction. The groundbreaking was canceled due to weather.

In February, motorists could see the foundation forming. Walls were up in April, and the roof was attached in June.

In a frequently asked question section on the township website, the old police station “building would not be demolished. It is possible that it would be repurposed for storage space; although, no formal decision has been made at this time.”

The township’s Facebook page has a video showing drone footage of the station’s construction.

“Tours are available by appointment,” states the township website. For more information, call 614-568-2060.

Genoa Township, in the southeastern corner of Delaware County, has a population of 27,000. Stephen Gammill is the police chief.

In other department news, Genoa Township “continuously accepts applications for the position of full-timepolice officer,” with directions available on its website at www.genoatwp.com.

Pictured is the front of the new Genoa Township Police Station at 6921 Big Walnut Road in Galena.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2020/12/web1_DSCF7541-1.jpgPictured is the front of the new Genoa Township Police Station at 6921 Big Walnut Road in Galena. Gary Budzak | The Gazette

By Gary Budzak

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Gary Budzak may be reached at 740-413-0906 or on Twitter @GaryBudzak.

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