Polson eyes public safety projects

As Polson’s population continues to grow, the city’s public safety departments are looking at expanding facilities and services to keep pace with demand.

Speaking at the Feb. 6 city commission meeting, officials presented plans for several potential projects, most notably a proposed $5-million building to house city’s court, police and fire departments.

Cpl. George Simpson of the Polson Police Department told commissioners that city hall currently lacks the necessary space and parking for emergency services. He said department heads plan to complete a feasibility study for a new facility this spring, and are exploring various funding options.

“It’s obvious we’re going to continue to get bigger and not smaller, so we need to plan for the future,” Simpson said.

Simpson said an ideal location would be in the heart of the city, in order to improve accessibility and response times. The $5 million estimate is based on a similar building used by the city of Whitefish, and does not include the potential cost of purchasing land.

In order to pursue the project further, Simpson said city officials have assembled a public safely building planning team, which will travel to an infrastructure-building seminar this spring. Simpson said it will cost roughly $7,500 to send five people to the seminar. If all goes well, officials anticipate construction could begin as soon as spring 2018.

In addition to the public safety building, the Polson Fire Department is also eying the creation of its own firefighting academy.

Fire Chief Clint Cottle did not present details on the plan, which remains in its infancy, but said that developing in-house training center is a “long-term goal” of the department.

“It’s very difficult and costly to get someone into the state academy,” he said. “It’s more effective to get training here.”

Turning toward more immediate projects, Polson Police Chief Wade Nash said he’s excited to roll out a new bicycle patrol unit and reserve officer training program in coming months.

Nash said he’s heard concerns over public safety on the city’s recreational trails. He said proactively patrolling these “hidden areas” will send a positive message, particularly to the Polson’s summertime transient population.

“I feel having a police presence in these areas will be a deterrent to crime.” He said.

Nash added that the department is also revamping its reserve officer program. He said the department seeks to recruit 10-15 individuals specialized in computer use to help with services such as data entry and evidence management.

“I feel we have missed an opportunity by not targeting these people in the past,” Nash said.

Nash said his department would instruct the volunteers on proper police protocol.

“Liability’s the biggest concern,” he said. “Obviously we’re not just going to let someone go out and represent the city of Polson if they don’t have the proper training.”

The extra help will come as a relief for the department, which is facing a personnel shortage after multiple officers recently left the force.

Nash said he has received a total of 23 applicants for the vacant positions, and hopes to fill the openings within the next two months.

“That’s the most we’ve ever had,” he said. “So that’s a positive sign.”

In the meantime, however, Nash said the department will continue to prioritize its responses.

“We’re going to handle the more serious crimes as best we can,” Nash said.