March ‘06 opening seen now for new substation

       Construction is on schedule for the Westside's new police substation, although the opening date has been pushed back a few months - until March of 2006.
       The originally announced completion date was December. The change is due to the building's furniture being in the 2006 budget, meaning those items cannot be ordered until January, according to Jerry Bentrott, director of management services for the Colorado Springs Police Department.
       “So it won't be till March that we can move people out there,” he said.
       The work is being performed by Thomas General Contractors, on a bid of $4.95 million. Including other costs, principally $785,000 to buy the 5.1 acre parcel on Moreno Avenue, the overall cost is $6.7 million, Bentrott said.
       The cost is about the same as that for the recently built substation in Stetson Hills (after which the Gold Hill substation is designed), he added.
       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. The substation is the latest of 12 city police or fire facilities that have been or are being built - as promised by city officials - with the .04-percent tax.
       According to Bentrott, between 100 and 150 people assigned to the Gold Hill Division will eventually move from the Police Operations Center (POC) in the south downtown area to the new substation. In addition to the Westside, the substation's coverage area goes east to Union Boulevard, north to Fillmore Street, south to the Broadmoor and west to Manitou Springs.
       The station will include a community room where groups can hold meetings.

Westside Pioneer article