photo by: Journal-World File Photo

The Baldwin City Council purchased this former restaurant building for $260,000 in March 2018, but it later learned it would cost more than anticipated to convert the structure into a police station.

Architectural designs for a new police station and plans for a park in the 700 block of High Street are expected to come before the Baldwin City Council later this month.

Baldwin City Administrator Glenn Rodden said he anticipated that the final designs for the two long-discussed projects, which the city expects will cost $1.65 million to build, will be presented at the City Council’s April 16 meeting.

Lawrence architect Jay Zimmerschied will share designs for the police station, which would replace the current 1,200-square-foot facility at 811 Eighth St., Rodden said. Baldwin City Mayor Casey Simoneau said the city didn’t know exactly how large the new station would be, but that the design would be more spacious and secure than the current facility.

The City Council will also be asked to decide where the new $1 million station should be built. Simoneau said the location options include several city-owned properties on U.S. Highway 56 and the former city public works yard in the 600 block of High Street. He said he would prefer one of the highway locations because they would provide greater visibility and quicker response time to the entire community.

One of those locations on the highway is a former restaurant property at the US-56/First Street intersection. At Simoneau’s suggestion, the City Council purchased the site in March 2018 for $260,000 with the intent of converting it into a police station. That plan, which would have doubled the space available for the police department, hit a snag when a structural engineer informed the city it would require $210,000 more than the $1 million available to modify the building for law enforcement needs.

Simoneau said the city is now studying whether the old restaurant can be torn down and a new police station constructed within the available $1 million budget. The city has fielded inquiries from those interested in purchasing the building and property, but it has deferred any action while the site is being considered for the new police station, he said.

Downtown park

While the design for a proposed downtown park won’t go before the City Council for more than a week, the public will have a chance to see the plans in a couple of days.

The plans for the park, which were developed by BG Consultants after a series of public forums, will be revealed to the public at a 7 p.m. meeting Monday at the Lumberyard Arts Center, 718 High St., Simoneau said. The project would be built in the empty lot — known as the Lotatorium — in the 700 block of High Street, between the Baldwin City Post Office and the Lumberyard Arts Center.

Simoneau said the park’s design includes a small concession stand, a performance stage, a big-screen community TV and a splash deck water feature.

“There will be something to allow everybody to enjoy the space, no matter what their interests,” he said. “We hope to break ground in June and have the majority of it complete by the Maple Leaf Festival the third weekend of October. It might not be 100 percent complete, but the majority will be finished.”