By William Moore
Daily Journal
TUPELO – A fire sprinkler test failure in mid-October has put the new Tupelo Police Department building about a month behind.
“We are looking at the end of this month or the first of December to actually be occupying the building,” said Police Chief Bart Aguirre. “Sometime after Thanksgiving.”
Officials hoped to be in the new $10 million, two-story building the first week of November. That plan changed Oct. 18 when three fire sprinkler heads malfunctioned during a pressure test.
All three of the malfunctioning heads were in the third floor mechanical room. While the test was stopped immediately, it took a while for the water to stop flowing.
The water flowed down to the second floor and damaged the purchasing office, along with offices of the police chief, deputy chief and the chief’s administrative assistant.
“They had to go in and tear out a lot of stuff that was water damaged,” Aguirre said. “In addition to drywall and ceiling tiles, they had to go back and rewrap the ductwork with insulation.
“They are in the process of re-installing the ceiling grids and it is set to be inspected Friday. That would let us do a walk-through next week so we can develop a punch list of things that need to be done before we take possession.”
The water leak delayed the opening of the building, but other parts of the transition into the new building continued. Police and other city officials went through new owner training classes to learn how to operate the generator, the electrical grid and lighting control panels. They also learned about the alarm systems and the elevator operation and safety protocol.
While Aguirre and his staff will start moving in by late November, the official ribbon-cutting and open house will be in December.
Tupelo broke ground on the 34,000-square-foot building at the corner of Front and Franklin streets in April 2015. The building, which will bring all of the police divisions together under one roof, was supposed to be ready in mid-August. A series of delays have pushed that date back more than three months.
This will be the first new police station in Tupelo since 1966. Over the years, the department outgrew the Front Street central station. Detectives, records and the crime lab moved onto Court Street. Plans for a new facility date to two city administrations ago, when city leaders issued bonds for a new police headquarters.
Mold forced the department to move out of several downtown locations and to the airport area in April 2015.
william.moore@journalinc.com