PORT TOWNSEND — Police Chief Connor Daily admits that he will miss the Cotton Building in downtown Port Townsend that has served as home of the Port Townsend Police Department for the past 30 years.
“I have mixed emotions,” said Daily, who has worked out of the office since joining the force in 1994.
“I won’t miss trying to get out of the parking lot or miss the long distance from the rest of the town or the cramped office.
“But I will miss being here in this location. I’ll miss the fact that people can walk downtown and stop in to say hello, ask for directions or just talk with one of us at the office.”
By mid-September, the Port Townsend Police Department will have a new home, while its old headquarters undergoes extensive renovation for its new life as a visitor center and site for small meetings.
New police quarters
City Manager David Timmons said he expects by Sept. 15 that the police officers will be fully moved into their new home at the former Mountain View Elementary School.
Now being referred to as Mountain View Commons — a location for the police, and possibly the Port Townsend Farmer’s Market, Olympic Community Actions Programs, the state Department of Licensing, the Department of Corrections parole program, the YMCA and the Port Townsend Food Bank — the building is undergoing a renovation by city staff to create enough room for the new residents.
Under terms of the lease agreed to by the city and the Port Townsend School District, the city will pay $66,000 annually for use of the Mountain View campus for five years with the city paying all utility charges, taxes and assessments during that time.
Improvements
Upgrades to the building include adding security doors, a new alarm system and renovations of classrooms into squad rooms, evidence lockups and interrogation rooms.
Police Sgt. Ed Green said work is under way to get all of that completed by the Sept. 15 deadline.
“We’re on top of it,” he said.
“It’s a lot of work just trying to figure it all out right now, but it’s going to be worth it.
“We want to do everything we can to make this a community-accessible building and also keep it a safe location for the community.”
Green said the interview rooms and suspect holding areas will be heavily secured and segregated from the rest of the building so the other community groups can operate without worry.
Also, Green pointed out that the multiple hallways would allow for the separation of people who come into the building.
“Where we are at now, there can be three or four people all crammed at the front counter all telling a different story,” Green said.
“This makes things a lot easier for everyone.”
Meanwhile, the Cotton Building currently housing the station will see some major upgrades of its own.
“It’s going to be completely redone,” said City Manager David Timmons.
“The public restrooms will be completely upgraded, the inside of the building itself will be remodeled and restored into one large room.
“The idea is to have it serve as a type of visitors center in downtown and also as a location to host events and small meetings for the public.”
Timmons expects the work to be completed by the end of this year.
Also involved in the shuffle of buildings is the school district. Students have been moved from Mountain View, which served as a third-, fourth- and fifth-grade school.
Grant Street Elementary is now housing students in grades kindergarten through fourth, and Blue Heron Middle School is serving as the location for fifth through eighth grades.
David Harrington, maintenance and operations manager for the school district, said it has been a rush to get new portables prepared for the school year, which begins Sept. 8.
“We still have a lot to get done in just a few weeks,” he said.
“I’m optimistic, but it’s a lot of work.”
Possibly won’t be ready
Harrington said if the permitting and utility work is not completed in time, there is a chance that students will be going back to school at Mountain View for a few days when the school year reconvenes.
Under the terms of the lease, the school district has the right to use three classrooms during the rental period.
“Still, that is not the plan at all,” Harrington said.
“We intend to be ready at Blue Heron on time for school to start.”
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
