Sugar Grove will not expand police facility

The Sugar Grove village board has tabled a resolution to approve a $700,000 expansion of the police facility for the third time in two months and there are no immediate plans to resume the discussion.

The unanimous vote (with trustee Thomas Renk absent) came at a village board meeting last week. The board also discussed the option of building a 6,000-square-foot, $1-million building to house the village administrative staff that would allow the police to occupy the entire village hall, making expansion unnecessary. The police department is presently located at the village hall at 10 Municipal Drive.

The $700,000 expansion would add 2,220 square feet to the police facility and allow for a secure reception area, 32 lockers, more office space for report writing and investigative work, and a sally port to more safely transport prisoners.

The board has expressed concerns over the crowded conditions that the police department faces, but have been unable to come up with a satisfactory solution in view of the severe economic downturn. Plans to build a multimillion dollar municipal center were shelved last year in the face of a sagging economy and housing growth that has slowed to a trickle. The money to build or expand would come out of the village's capital improvement fund, as impact fees and housing start fees are drying up.

"I'm not in favor of either (the police expansion or building an administrative building) in view of the economy right now," said trustee Robert Bohler. "I'm sitting tight at home, and I think my community should, too."

"I want to explore more options," said trustee Kevin Geary. "Let's see what we can squeeze out of this building. How creative can we be in giving the police this entire building and look at building or leasing options. We are trying to be frugal with the taxpayers money and still looking for a longer term solution."

Trustees Mari Johnson, Mary Heineman and Melisa Taylor expressed concerns over rushing into a solution.