Two projects in Lavaca are nearing completion.
Lavaca Mayor Hugh Hardgrave said a new police facility at 405 Dogwood St. is at least 90 percent finished. It should be complete in early January.
"We're waiting on signage, an awning and some minor details to wrap it up," Hardgrave said.
Construction began in August. Hardgrave said the construction manager of the project is Glidewell Construction. The building was designed by MAHG Architecture.
Hardgrave said the Lavaca Police Department shares the building housing the current police facility at 103 S. Davis St. with the Lavaca branch of the the Scott Sebastian Library. It is a 2,000-square-foot building, with each part having 1,000 square feet of space. The building was not originally built to be a police station, according to an article previously published in the Times Record.
Hardgrave said the building is at least 25 years old.
"... It was basically just inadequate, and we feel like that our police needed a new facility to work in, and we feel like that would be something our community could be proud of, too," Hardgrave said. "There was definitely a need."
Lavaca Assistant Chief of Police Charles Toon said one of the issues the Police Department has to face in the current facility is a lack of office space. He and Lavaca Chief of Police Phillip Beshoner share a single office that contains three desks and their file cabinets. That same office also doubles as the department's interview room because it does not have a designated interview room.
"... And we have a mutual aid with several agencies," Toon said. "The Sebastian County Sheriff's Department and other agencies have utilized our interview room. Well, whenever the interview room is my office and the chief's office, we can't continue our day-to-day business while someone else uses the interview room or if the chief or I are trying to accomplish something during the daytime during our daily activities, if I have to do an interview and he's using the office, it kind of interferes with that. We have to do one of two things: either put off an interview or put off the work being done by the chief or myself."
Toon said the department is also limited on storage space.
The new facility will be about 1,600 square feet, Hardgrave said. Among the other features it will have are three offices for the chief of police and two other officers, a common area, an interview room, an evidence room and covered parking in the back for officers who are on duty.
Hardgrave said he believes the entire project will cost about $440,000. Lavaca borrowed $300,000 from First National Bank, which will be paid off in 10 years. The remaining sum will come from the Lavaca general fund reserve account.
Lavaca reallocated its county sales tax fund to put more money in its general fund to pay for the project, Hardgrave said.
"We just made some minor shifts in different funds, which allowed us to put more into the general fund, and that's where we're getting our money for the monthly payment for 10 years," Hardgrave said.
Another Lavaca project nearing completion, one that is being done in conjunction with the construction of the new police facility, is the Dogwood Street improvement project. A Sept. 26 news release states Dogwood Street between South Franklin and South Davis streets will be widened and overlaid. A sidewalk, as well as drainage improvements, a water line upgrade and an additional fire hydrant are also to be installed at the same time.
"When the project is complete, there will be 24 feet of paved surface, a five foot ADA compliant sidewalk on the south side of the street, and curb and gutter drainage on the south side of the street," the release states. "In addition, the two-inch water line will be upgraded to a six-inch line, and a fire hydrant will be installed on the south side of Dogwood at the intersection with South Davis Street."
Hardgrave said the project is important because every time the city builds a facility, it attempts to improve the streets, especially around Lavaca Public Schools, to improve pedestrian and motorist safety.
"... So every chance we get, especially around new construction that's close to school, we try to improve the streets at the same time, and also we try to improve our water system by upgrading from, like, two-inch lines to six-inch lines, and we always look for opportunities to add fire hydrants, too, and that's what we're doing this time, too," Hardgrave said.
Hawkins Weir Engineers developed the plans for the street improvement project. The low bid on the project, which was submitted by HardRock Construction Inc. out of Russellville, exceeded $108,000.
Hardgrave said the project should be finished by the end of January. It began Nov. 1.