Geneva residents who want to learn more or ask questions of staff on the city’s upcoming bond measure for a new police station can attend open houses happening throughout February, the city said this week.
In the March 17 primary election, Geneva voters will be asked whether the city should issue $59.4 million in bonds to pay for a new police station.
The city had been planning to put the question to voters in last April’s election, but the measure was ultimately pulled from the ballot after the city discovered a calculation error that would have doubled the projected property tax payment.
But, having since revisited the idea, the city is now moving forward with putting the question to residents in March.
Geneva’s current police station is located just off the Fox River at 20 Police Plaza, and is a conglomeration of three buildings built in 1915, 1953 and 1987, according to the city. The building previously housed the police department, fire department and Tri-Com Central Dispatch, but the latter two entities have since gotten their own facilities. It currently houses the city’s finance department as well as the police department.
Earlier this year, the city adopted a facilities master plan, which identified a new police station as a top priority. City staff previously pointed to issues like a lack of office space, flooding, sewer back-ups and a partial roof collapse at the current police station.
If the upcoming referendum question is approved, the city will build a new station on city-owned property on South Street, adjacent to the city’s Public Works facility, replacing two city-owned and maintained baseball fields.
The open houses next month, which will be hosted by the city’s Strategic Plan Advisory Committee, will be happening at the Geneva Public Library at 227 S. Seventh St. from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 4, 10 a.m. to noon on Feb. 18 and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 25, according to a news release from the city.
At the events, residents can speak with city staff about the current police station and proposed future facility, the city said. Representatives from the Geneva Police Department, as well as experts in architecture, finance and project management, will be there to answer questions, officials said.
The city is asking interested residents to register online for the open houses at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_UqVYr_Z_pQWqPw6hZ5mzxVEdkxSmxoovvY71ZtmTZU3MPg/viewform. That form can also be used to submit questions to the city in advance of the open houses.
The city is also offering tours of the current police station in the lead-up to the election in March. Registration is also required for the tours.
