Sikeston police department breaks ground on new headquarters

SIKESTON, Mo. -- After years of discussion and budget planning, the city of Sikeston and Department of Public Safety broke ground Monday for a brand-new facility, to be built at South Kingshighway and Trotter Street.

"I think this is a great day for the city as well as DPS," Chief Drew Juden, director of the department, said after Monday morning's ceremony.

He noted this will be the first building occupied by DPS that was designed as a Public Safety headquarters. The current building, built as a Post Office in 1938, began housing the then-police department in 1972.

"A year from now we will be back for a ribbon cutting," Juden said. "And hopefully then, everyone will be proud of the facility."

In addition to current DPS staff, city council members and city workers, several past DPS staff were on hand at Monday's groundbreaking, as well as members of the community.

Among them was Jim Hailey, a retired DPS captain who began work as a firefighter from 1972 to 1976 for the city, then returned in 1985 after the Department of Public Safety was formed. He retired in 2008.

"This is great, and has been a long time in the coming," he said. "It should be able to make the department more efficient and help provide a much more productive work environment."

Approved by the city council in May, the total cost of the project, to be built by Penzel Construction Company of Jackson, is $4,963,560. It includes a finished basement and three-bay maintenance garage.

The architectural firm heading up the building process is Dille and Traxel of Poplar Bluff, Mo. Both companies were also involved in the construction of the new Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities building. Plans for the building's exterior are similar in character to the BMU building.

The project is being financed by the USDA Rural Development Program at a rate of 4 percent for 30 years.

Mayor Jerry Pullen noted it was a tough decision to approve the project and take on the debt, but he, too, said it was needed.

"This is my 13th year on the council, and we've talked about [building a new DPS facility] the whole time," he said. "We need to do something to enhance our DPS facility."

Pullen continued: I think now is an exciting time for Sikeston."

Pertinent address:

Sikeston, MO