Police station may move into old school site | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

The building, located on nearly 3 acres at 204 Pasadena Road, just west of the existing elementary school, is being used for storage of maintenance equipment and would be a good location for a new station, according to county officials.

Greg Stewart, chief of facilities engineering for the county Department of Public Works, said the county has no plans to use the site in the future. The property is centrally located in the Eastern District and has the space needed by the Police Department, he said.

A new police station for the Eastern District is badly needed, said Sgt. Shawn Urbas, county police spokesman. The current station on Mountain Road is located in an old school building that can't meet the department's growing needs, he said. Police also share space with the Jacobsville Fire Station, making it even more cramped.

"The officers need more space and they need to be more centrally located along the Route 2 corridor," he said. "Those are the main reasons we're looking to move."

Officials have been looking to relocate the station for five years, and although the elementary school site has been proposed, the department will continue to examine all possibilities to find the best site, Sgt. Urbas said. The department has set aside about $8 million for the project, has been set aside for this project, which most likely won't be finished until 2009 or 2010, he added.

Mr. Stewart said the county has no other surplus land and is waiting for approval from the county school board to convey the property. The plan was presented to the school board last week.

Board member Ned Carey of Brooklyn Park said the item didn't raise any immediate concerns among board members, but said public input will be key.

"It would be interesting to see what members of the surrounding community feel about this," he said. "At this point I don't know anything. We're just the first step in this whole process."

Mr. Carey said the results of an ongoing study looking at unused properties in the county also will play a role. At the earliest, a vote could occur within the next two or three weeks, he said.