(KIWA Staff Photo)Orange City, Iowa (Sioux County Radio) — Orange City is moving forward with plans to remodel the former Vander Pol Excavating building into a new police station, with renovations preliminarily estimated at $600,000.
City Administrator Matt Van Schouwen says the City Council approved a property exchange agreement and authorized staff to develop plans and specifications for the building along Highway 10 near Industrial Bypass Road on the west side of town.
The project would move the Orange City Police Department out of City Hall, where Police Chief Jim Pottebaum says the department has outgrown its space. The department now has nine full-time officers and one part-time officer.
Property Exchange and Project Costs
Van Schouwen says the city considered several options — including expanding inside City Hall and moving to other locations — before pursuing the former excavating company property.
The agreement exchanges additional city-owned property at the former airport site for the Vander Pol property. Vander Pol has already relocated to the former runway site, where it is using older airport buildings and constructing new facilities.
The former Vander Pol property was appraised at $450,000. Combined with Beck Engineering’s preliminary $600,000 renovation estimate, the total value of the property and anticipated remodeling work is about $1.05 million. That figure includes the value of the exchanged property, not a fully cash-funded construction cost.
Van Schouwen says a monetary adjustment was included because the exchanged properties were not equal in value, though he did not specify the amount.
He says the next step is seeking bids for the remodeling work. The council would then need to approve a bid and construction contract. Van Schouwen says an unexpectedly high bid could prompt the city to reconsider the project’s scope.
The interviews did not establish a funding plan, potential property-tax impact, or construction and move-in dates. In an earlier Facebook reply to a resident’s tax concerns, the police department said it would gather more information before responding.
More Space, Privacy, and Security
Pottebaum says the department had five officers when he started in 1998 and expanded after taking on contracted police service for Alton. Current staffing has strained the available space.
The proposed station would include:
- a larger squad room with individual workstations
- offices for leadership and investigative work
- space for future staffing
- indoor vehicle space
- a bay for evidence-related work
- dedicated K9 space
- more secure evidence and property storage.
Pottebaum says the new location would improve response times.
Privacy for visitors is another priority. Currently, people reporting crimes must be escorted through City Hall hallways. Plans for the new building include an area where visitors could contact the sheriff’s office by phone if officers are away.
Security upgrades would include cameras, access controls, and restricted areas. Pottebaum says improved evidence storage would help prevent contamination, damage, loss, or unauthorized access.
Although the city’s initial announcement referenced an expanded holding room, Van Schouwen clarified the project does not include holding cells. Instead, plans call for two secure interview or interrogation rooms. People requiring detention would be transferred to the sheriff’s office.
A future use for the police department’s current space in City Hall has not been determined.
