Councilmen Pat Rogan, Tim Perry and Wayne Evans said the 66-year-old building at Pine Street and Colfax Avenue in the Hill Section was in better condition than they expected.
Police vehicles are parked in a large open room, the center’s former drill floor. A wing of the building contains mostly empty rooms once used as offices and classrooms. The tour gave councilmen a better understanding of the Police Department’s plan to continue using the building for storage of several large, specialized vehicles, and making it a new home for two police divisions, an evidence room and training facility for police and firefighters. Mr. Rogan and Mr. Perry supported the plan before the tour, and it galvanized their stances.
“After seeing the building, I think it makes even more sense,” Mr. Rogan said of the project.
The Serrenti site became available free from the federal government after a new Armed Forces Reserve Center opened in 2011 in North Scranton.
Police Chief Carl Graziano, Capt. Dennis Lukasewicz and Detective Sgt. Robert Martin walked the councilmen through the building Monday.
Council President Joe Wechsler toured the building Wednesday, in advance of Thursday’s meeting when council preliminarily approved steps for the city to renovate and acquire it.
At that meeting, council voted 4-1 to introduce ordinances authorizing the city to accept a $250,000 state gaming grant to defray costs of renovations and to enter a one- to two-year license to continue using the building while applying to the federal government for ownership.
Councilman Bill Gaughan cast the lone dissent at Thursday’s meeting, saying the city does not know long-term costs of renovating and maintaining the facility. He cited a condition assessment last year that pegged estimates of required repairs at $652,600, including a new roof costing $120,000 and utility upgrades, and recommended $352,430 in other repairs.
Chief Graziano said the city can choose renovation “needs versus wants.” Once the city owns the property, it also would become eligible for other grants, and drug-forfeiture funds also could go toward renovations, he said.
“It doesn’t need to be pretty. It just needs to be functional,” Chief Graziano said.
Mr. Perry noted the state grant would cover the cost of a main need: a new roof.
The plan also calls for moving the special investigations division from headquarters on South Washington Avenue to the Serrenti site; moving the juvenile division from a satellite office in West Side to headquarters, into space vacated by special investigations; and moving the training division from the former Fire Department Engine 15 building on Ash Street to the Serrenti building.
The Ash Street building then could be sold, the chief said. Mr. Evans said he will propose that proceeds from that sale go toward funding maintenance and utilities of the Serrenti building over the next decade or so, while installation of a modern, high-efficiency furnace and LED lighting also would save on utility bills.
“I think the costs (of the project) really can be negligible,” Mr. Evans said.
The ordinances would come up for advancement on second readings at council’s meeting Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.
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