SELLERSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- Officers at the Sellersburg Police Department have endured a lot at their current station on New Albany Street in the recent years. But it's all about to change.
The police department is preparing for its move across town to a newer, much bigger building off of state Road 60.
"Long time coming, and it's obviously good for us, but I think it's good for the community," Sellersburg Police Chief Russ Whelan said.
The current building is full of water stains on ceilings, walls and floors from leaks and floods. Its windows aren't properly sealed, and there is a significant amount of mold growing from the moisture left behind.
This week, water was seeping onto the basement floor.
"I can't tell you how many times the basement has flooded," Whelan said.
This week, water was seeping onto the basement floor at the police department's current building. WDRB Photo. Feb. 23, 2022.
The historic building, formerly Sellersburg State Bank, is quite literally falling apart.
"I think the building got to the point where it's time to do something different," Town Manager Charlie Smith said.
Smith, along with the town council, worked alongside Whelan to secure a new building for Sellersburg Police.
"From a useable standpoint, this was really about space and the internal workings of the current building," Smith said.
In April, the police department will move operations to the new building. It provides numerous resources like more office space, a meeting room, large questioning rooms, an evidence locker system and much more overall space.
It also provides room for growth. Sellersburg Police has grown by three officers in the last 24 months, and as quickly as the Town of Sellersburg is growing, it could add more officers.
"There's room to grow in every aspect," Whelan said. "There's more room for officers in the squad room. There's more room for detectives. So that all worked."
Water stains can be seen on ceiling tiles at the police department's current building. WDRB Photo. Feb. 23, 2022.
As for the current building, the town has plans to keep some of it intact.
Smith said the town is meeting with architects to discuss how to preserve the limestone facade under the building and weave in new construction of a town hall.
"There's an old limestone facade underneath the current building that's there that has a lot of historical value for Sellersburg," he said. "And I think it's very important that we keep town hall in that downtown corridor there."
For now, the focus is on the police department's move to their long-awaited upgrade.
Whelan said the transition will be quick and believes the department will be fully moved within a week sometime in early April.
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