JONESBORO, Ark. — The Jonesboro Finance and Administration Committee has advanced a proposal to purchase the former Shelter Insurance building on East Highland Drive to serve as a temporary police facility.
During its Tuesday meeting, the committee approved plans for the city to acquire the 14,000-square-foot building, located at 1709 East Highland Drive, at a cost of $2.75 million plus closing costs and fees. The building features 30 offices, conference rooms, break rooms, an enclosed garage, and 51 parking spaces.
The move comes after the closure of Jonesboro's Justice Complex left several police divisions operating out of temporary locations, including community centers. Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliot said the building could be operational quickly if the city council approves the purchase.
“Our IT infrastructure we have to put in place... all of the officers are already wired. We just need to set our servers and make connectivity back to the city, which would be a pretty quick fix, and we will be up and running,” Elliot said.
Elliot added that consolidating the scattered divisions under one roof could improve the police department’s efficiency. “Hopefully it will make us a little more efficient in what we do day in and day out and we are looking forward to this consolidation,” he said.
To finance the purchase and necessary renovations, the city plans to take out a $3 million short-term loan, pending the full city council’s approval.
The committee also advanced other measures, including nearly $1 million for upgrades to playground equipment at Craighead Forest Park and authorization to apply for a $670,000 grant to retrofit the city’s incinerator. These proposals will also go before the full council for final consideration.