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Levy passage will provide new building for Liverpool Township

 

LaCROFT — Liverpool residents will vote Nov. 8 on an additional five-year, 3-mill permanent improvement levy for the construction and maintenance of a new building to house the township’s administrative offices and police department.

The facility will be built on Ada Street across from the current township building and behind the fire station.

Throughout the year, trustees have discussed the condition of the current building and have voiced several major concerns. One of the biggest problems is the location and size of police headquarters.

The station is on the second floor and its only access is a flight of stairs, which has given the elderly and/or disabled serious trouble.

“The building’s not suited for that (handicap accessibility) at the time it was built in the 1970s,” Trustee Keith Burke said. “It wasn’t really pushed at the time. They had x-amount of money. As you can see, the building is a small building. We do need to expand because of the building for our patrolman to go ahead and people come in, instead of having people go up the steps.

“Sometimes when you’re dealing with people, it’s tough to get them up and down the steps no matter what’s going on with them. It does make a situation for that.”

Also, Burke said, “We need to update electric and things like that because you’re using a lot more electronic stuff than we did back then.”

The building also lacks holding. “At this point, it’s a safety factor for the police officers because if they have a domestic with multi-family members,” Trustee Mike Bahen said. “They bring them here, they only have one choice. One of the family members, they can cuff them to the seat/bench, then they have to take the other one upstairs to separate them. We have no holding cells here. The person sitting at the bench, if more family members come for officers’ safety, the person has reach to open the door.

“It’s a safety factor if they have a person that’s drunk. They have to take him upstairs. If that person decides to kick backwards and kick him and the officers down the steps, we’re looking at a big lawsuit.”

Other issues that have been addressed include the size of the restrooms–which trustees have said is not ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible, poor lighting and  poor heating

The new facility will have one floor and more room, including holding cells, for police.

Trustees have already hired an architectural firm–Baker, Bednar, Snyder and Associates of Warren–to handle the construction

If approved, the levy will generate an annual income of $248,400 for five years, and will also result in a tax increase.

Residents with a $40,000 home would pay an additional $42 in taxes per year. Those with a $150,000 home would pay an additional $157.70 annually. It would also result in an increase of $52.50 per year for a $50,000 home; $63 for a $60,000 home; $73.50 for a $70,000 home; $84 for an $80,000 home, $94.50 for a $90,000 home and $105 for a $100,000 home.

srappach@reviewonline.com

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