Police to research HQ renovation - KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports

The city council has now wrapped up weeks of work on the city's multi-million dollar, multi-year capital improvement budget, Wednesday. But, before they finished, they weighed the pros and cons of major repairs to the police and fire headquarters.

You see, when it rains, it pours inside the HQ on Douglas Street. Police officials say the 28-year-old building leaks when wet weather hits. They have to deploy buckets to catch rain water coming in from windows and skylights. Plus, they're worried the moisture could create black mold, a health hazard.

Issues don't stop there. The parking lot is crumbling, and officials say they need a new boiler and electrical system.

In the capital improvement budget hearing today, they asked for about $2.5 million for a major renovation.    

"This is a great opportunity for us to, instead of putting band-aids on the building all the time, get her done. Get it done right," said Sioux City Police Chief Doug Young.

The city council thought the proposal over, and considered giving $1.25 million in fiscal years 2014 and 2015. Instead, they asked the police department to come up with a more detailed plan for repairs, and a better cost analysis. 

Sioux City mayor Bob Scott doubts the city could afford a brand new facility, but says a renovation seems doable. He says an I-Jobs grant may even be able to cut 21% of the bill.

"We need a report on that I-Jobs to see if we can use that funding to help pay for some of that project. I think if we can get that done it would help a lot," said Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott.

The city agreed to discuss the renovation further in operating budget talks in coming weeks.