Groundbreaking March 28 for new Gold Hill police substation on Moreno Avenue
A March 28 ceremonial groundbreaking is scheduled for the planned new Gold Hill police substation at 955 W. Moreno Ave.,
just west of Eighth Street.
Various dignitaries, including the mayor and council and the Public Safety Sales Tax (PSST) Oversight Committee, are being invited to the 2:30 p.m. event at the 5.1-acre site that the city recently purchased for the facility, according to Jerry Bentrott, director of management services for the Colorado Springs Police Department. The currently vacant location is between Pikes Peak Mental Health and Red Noland Collision. The station will provide a headquarters for the police division that handles a geographic sector of the city - including the Westside - called Gold Hill. A previous Gold Hill substation had been in the Midland area, but was moved into the main police station downtown about 10 years ago. Actual work on the site is not expected to begin until mid-April. The city will open bids for the project from private contractors March 24 and make a selection within a few days, after which the contractor will need “a couple of weeks to get finalized,” in terms of bonding, equipment and crews, Bentrott explained. The property's $778,000 purchase cost was approved by City Council in January. The estimated construction cost has not been made available. Its “twin” building - the Stetson Hills substation, after which Gold Hill is being modeled - had a cost of $6.3 million, but Gold Hill may cost less because of slightly fewer space requirements, Bentrott said. Funding is coming from the .04-percent Public Safety Sales Tax (PSST), approved by voters in 2001, which listed the substation as one of its expense items. Bentrott said he is hopeful the new station will be ready for use by the end of this year. Scheduled speakers at the groundbreaking will include Mayor Lionel Rivera, Police Chief Luis Velez and City Council members Scott Hente and Margaret Radford. Westside Pioneer article |