Should the Jal Police Department be demolished or rebuilt?

Should the Jal Police Department be demolished or rebuilt?

Christina Holt/News-Sun

Despite the “deplorable condition” of the Jal Police Department, residents – especially those who live behind it – do not want the historic El Paso Natural Gas building to be demolished.

The city of Jal held three public meetings on Monday and Tuesday, allowing citizens to tour the JPD and get a better idea of ​​the building’s condition.

“I love its history and would love to see it saved,” said Jal historian Brian Norwood, but Monday night’s tour was “eye-opening. It’s in worse shape than I expected.”

Jal’s City Manager Wes Hooper led Jal residents, City Council members and city employees on a tour of the historic building. In total, about 20 people attended the two Monday meetings.

The city of Jal is considering what to do with the building.

According to Hooper, the options are:

• Conversion of the historic building for the JPD

• Conversion for rental to a company

• Demolition and reconstruction for the JPD

• Demolition and reconstruction for rental to a company

Whichever option is chosen, JPD will need to be relocated in order to perform any type of work. According to Jal City Councilman Fred Seifts, the plan is to temporarily relocate JPD to the old junior high school.

From the outside, the building looks good and the part in use has been partially remodeled. However, upon closer inspection, it turns out that the repairs are quite extensive, says Fred Seifts, Jal City Councilor.

The historic EPNG building includes two buildings, of which only the front building is occupied and the rear building is empty. The front building currently houses the police, courts and the operations center.

EPNG built the first part of the building – the rear – in 1946, and the last part was completed in 1953, according to Norwood.

A tour of the front building revealed large cracks in the ceiling tiles, missing ceiling tiles, worn carpets, and cracks in the foundation of the prison cells.

When inspecting the vacant building, broken windows were noticed, as well as missing and broken ceiling tiles, holes in the walls and water damage.

“There is a water leak somewhere under the concrete foundation,” Seifts said.

He is concerned about the repair work on the foundation and the water pipes as well as the asbestos removal that would have to be carried out on the rear building.

“The pipes are probably very old and were installed in the ’40s and ’50s,” Norwood said.

Norwood also said that due to the era in which the building was constructed, lead paint may have been used in the building.

“It could be very expensive to make it available to the public,” he said.

Not only are both buildings in need of renovation, but the courtroom is too small and security measures are inadequate, Hooper said.

The JPD uses two prison cells. According to Mauricio Valeriano, the police chief of Jal, the space is sufficient but needs to be modernized for greater security and protection.

“A building designed specifically for police is better for the safety of the people in the building and the detainees there,” Valeriano said.

The actual police department consists of three rooms throughout the building for nine officers, including the chief, two supervisors and six officers, he said.

Mary Ruth Pruett, who lives behind the JPD and attended the tour Monday morning, is concerned about the location of a business in front of her house and the traffic on Highway 18. However, she agrees that something needs to be done about the condition of the building.

“I like the police department on Highway 18 because of the traffic,” Pruett said. “Our police department is good.”

Helen McNeese, who also lives behind the JPD and took part in the tour Monday morning, does not want the building to be torn down or the department to move.

“(The city of Jal) hasn’t maintained it like they should have, and now they want to tear it down,” McNeese said. “I don’t want it to be torn down. It’s a historic building. I think the police need to stay here because of the traffic on Highway 18.”

The building was given to the city of Jal for economic reasons, but the city did not pursue the project any further.

In the 1990s, the JPD moved from City Hall to the historic EPNG building, according to Norwood.

“It’s a very, very big part of Jal’s history, but unfortunately history can’t always be saved,” Norwood said.

Norwood also lives behind JPD and attended the public meeting Monday evening.

“JPD have been good neighbors. It’s nice to have the police here, but I understand that something needs to be done with the area,” Norwood said.

Seifts was happy to see residents participate in the public meetings because it gave them a better idea of ​​the building’s condition and why the city is pursuing different options for using the building.

“(The city of Jal) is compiling figures. The reconstruction could be more expensive than demolition and new construction,” Seifts said.

Seifts wants to encourage the community and residents to attend the meetings, as city council members have important decisions to make and need their input.