Construction of a new police substation on the Southeast Side of Iowa City is nearing completion, and the one officer who will be stationed there is set to move in later this week, officials said.
The station, to which the Iowa City City Council gave the go-ahead July 12, began development Aug. 1, when the city formally signed a two-year lease for the property, said police crime-prevention Officer Jorey Bailey, the only full-time officer assigned to the station.
While officials have not set a target completion date, Bailey said he predicts the facility — located in the Pepperwood Plaza offices on the southwest side of the Highway 6 and Broadway intersection — should be operable close to the end of September.
“It is going much faster than planned, but still, the improvements are done by contractors that we do not control,” Iowa City Police Chief Sam Hargadine said in an e-mail.
The Iowa City police have worked with Southgate Development Services to complete the planning and development, Bailey said.
“We just have a bit more construction to do,” he said. “Offices, conference tables, those sorts of things.”
Bailey said he hopes to be fully moved into his office later this week.
While the Southeast Side has experienced a quieter summer than usual, the seemingly contrary efflux of criminal activity as of late will not affect development.
Demands for a larger police presence began after the summer of 2009, a season that saw increased juvenile crime. That fall, a homicide in the area shocked the community.
Though the substation will serve as an extended branch of the Iowa City police, it is not an actual precinct. While Bailey is the only person working out of the office full-time, other officers will not be present at all times, he said.
Patrol officers will use the substation for paperwork and will be present there for much of the day. Police may staff one or more officers at the site if necessary, police officials said.
Officials projected the cost of the substation to be around $86,535 during the planning stages of its development, with about $81,000 being used for remodeling, furniture, and utilities for the first year. The money came from a JAG-Byrne Grant, the Iowa City Housing Authority, and the police drug-seizure fund.
Bailey said it looks like the department will be financially on target.
“We’re hoping to come in just under, actually,” he said.
Residents of the Southeast Side expressed mixed opinions on the substation when the City Council approved police use of the facility in July. Some felt it was a proactive way to reduce crime, and others said they felt there were more creative ways to prevent crime.
Police, however, said they are confident the substation will decrease crime on the Southeast Side, as well as increase real-estate appeal and give community members and families a greater sense of security.
City Councilor Regenia Bailey, who voted for the substation in early July, said she hopes for the best.
“I look forward to seeing the data,” she said.