Crothersville Police show off new quarters

Walking room-to-room in the new police station, Crothersville Police Chief Vurlin McIntosh described the use of each room in the department’s new headquarters Sunday afternoon.

Opening it up to the public for an open house, McIntosh and the Crothersville Police Department officers gave tours of the building at Preston and Moore streets they moved into earlier this month from their previous location at town hall.

The police department now has an interview room, kitchen, officer’s room and more office space as well as a waiting area.

Before moving, the police department was working out of three rooms, McIntosh said.

“I have no idea where I put things in the other building,” he said.

McIntosh said the work done to the interior and exterior of the building did not cost taxpayers.

“Nothing in this building — furnishings or otherwise —– has cost taxpayers anything,” McIntosh said. He said the furnishings were donated by people who thought they needed it and the work was done by volunteers — including the police officers.

“We removed the sinks from each room and repainted,” McIntosh said of the work to the building.

On the exterior, flagpoles and lights were added to the landscape.

McIntosh said he is grateful to Schneck Medical Center for selling the building to the town.

“I greatly appreciate it,” McIntosh said. “They have been outstanding.”

The building, which was most recently used as the Family Medical Building, was sold to the town for $100 by the Schneck Medical Center Board of Trustees.

Town Council President Ardell Mitchell said last month the town now owns the property and must use it for town purposes for a minimum of 10 years or else the property will go back to Schneck Medical Center’s ownership.

Mitchell said Sunday was a good day for the town.

“It’s a good day, a happy day,” Mitchell said of the police department being moved. “We are very happy to be here.”

Mitchell said he “can’t wait to see the impact on the community” by having the police department housed in a separate building from town hall.

Walking around seeing what had changed in the building she worked in for eight years for Schneck Medical Center, Joyce Kovert of Crothersville said she was happy the building was being used by the police department.

“It looks really nice,” Kovert said. Looking around room by room, she noticed the permanent file cabinets and sinks in each room had been removed.

“I’m glad it went to the police department instead of not being used,” she said.