Winamac’s new police station is almost ready, but town officials still aren’t sure what they’re going to do with the current one. It has been suggested that the portion of the Winamac Municipal Utilities Complex currently used by the police department could be rented to the Pulaski County Coroner’s Office.
But Electric Superintendent Doug Shorter told the town council last week he’d be interested in using the space for his department. “We were just going to move the Electric Department up here,” he said, “have more space for our storage and that, our parts and everything, and just have a place that’s for the Electric Department.”
But the Coroner’s Office currently lacks a dedicated office space or a private area to meet with families. Still, Council President Tom Murray questioned why it should be up to the town to fix that. “That’s something the county needs to take care of, instead of the town,” he said. “That’s the county’s coroner; that’s the county’s responsibility. But the county’s been slacking on doing anything for him.”
Former County Commissioner Terry Young said he did try, when he was in office. “I beat my brains out, trying to find a coroner’s office,” he said. “My first term, I met the coroner. I was at Monterey campaigning. She showed me the coroner’s office. She says, ‘Come in my house,’ and there was her file cabinet in her front room. It’s wrong, and there’s no place for families to meet properly.”
In any case, Town Manager Brad Zellers is calling on the town council to make a decision soon, as the new police station nears completion. “They need to know,” he said. We’re probably – a month would be a long ways out. It’ll be sooner than that, they should be moved in. We need to move forward if we’re going to or decide. It’s not fair holding them back.”
Zellers said town employees are finishing some window trimmings and a few other items at the new downtown police station. Wiring for phone and Internet systems has been installed, and work has taken place on the building’s sidewalk. Move-in day has not yet been set.
