Winona City Council approves police station location | News

by GABRIEL HATHAWAY

In another step toward a new joint police center downtown, the Winona City Council on Monday approved 165 West Second Street as the site for the next phase of design work. City Manager Chad Ubl said city staff will continue to work with the state to release funds for the project and will reconvene the city-county working group to narrow the scope of the project before the city reaches an agreement with architects for more detailed design work in the coming months.

Due to limited space and some lacking security at the current Winona Police Department (WPD) headquarters, city leaders proposed a new joint police station for the WPD and Winona County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) last summer. WCSO and WPD currently use the decades-old and county-owned Law Enforcement Center (LEC). County officials instead proposed remodeling the LEC, and a city-county working group was formed to study that option. Ultimately, city architects concluded that remodeling the existing LEC would cost $28 million to $35 million and building a new joint facility would cost $23 million to $26 million. While some County Board members initially favored renovation, a majority supported continuing design work for a new facility.

On Monday, the City Council unanimously selected 165 West Second Street as the site for preliminary design, or a more detailed conceptual design, of the project. Ubl said this was necessary so staff could move forward with discussions with the state about releasing the city’s $7.5 million for land acquisition and planning. The Winona County Board had taken a similar vote in May. Ubl said staff would look into whether state funds could be used for non-public safety additions to the project, such as the county’s License Center, which could be included in the project if county officials wish.

“The basic idea is to finally get into the details of what this would cost and what we are asking for,” said Councilman Jeff Hyma. He added, “We started with the wish list. Now we are finally getting to the core of what we are asking for and what we can afford.”

In August, Ubl said the $7.5 million state grant contract for the project site would be presented to the City Council for approval. He noted that once the contract is signed, the funds could only be used for the project at 165 West Second Street. City officials had previously indicated that if the county is not interested in a joint police facility, the $7.5 million could instead be used for a new station for the Winona Fire Department (WFD) and Winona Area Ambulance Service (WAAS). “If the measure is approved tonight, the needs of the fire department will have to be met with local funds,” Ubl told the City Council on Monday. “I think it’s important to note that we need to provide funds in the 2025 budget to continue the pre-planning, planning and land acquisition potential of the new fire station. This does not preclude us from using other sources. Perhaps there are other grants or other state assistance.”

Once the state funding agreement is signed, according to Ubl, the city and county will meet again with the city architect BKV to further define the scope of work for the project before beginning the formal preliminary design process.

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