Denison police facility needs surface in city records

By GvilleTX Newsroom

Denison officials have a police-facility question in front of them after Police Chief Mike Gudgel told the City Council during a June 23 work session that the Denison Police Department needs a new building, according to minutes included in the city’s July 13 council packet. The minutes say Gudgel reported the current building, built in 1936, is too small for the growth the city expects.

The department’s public address is 108 W. Main Street, according to the City of Denison’s police department webpage. The city packet does not list a replacement site, project cost, construction timeline or funding plan for a new police facility.

The June 23 discussion came during a broader council work session on budget priorities, capital improvements, strategic goals and department needs. The posted minutes say Gudgel covered the department’s financial management, accomplishments, budget requests and future needs.

According to those minutes, Gudgel’s FY2027 budget requests included staffing and personnel, with three communications specialists listed as the most critical staffing request. The minutes also say the department requested officer safety equipment, technology, training and tactical readiness.

The current police building is about 90 years old, based on the 1936 construction date cited in the council minutes. Grayson Central Appraisal District records identify the parcel at 108 W. Main St. as City of Denison property. The appraisal record’s legal description includes “CITY HALL,” and the property is classified in a police/fire-station neighborhood, corroborating municipal use at the site now used by the police department.

Denison had placed the police station in a broader facilities review four years earlier. In a July 11, 2022, council packet, city staff proposed a $102,000 professional services agreement with Huitt-Zollars Inc. for a city facility condition assessment. The staff report listed the Police Station at 108 W. Main among the facilities to be reviewed, along with City Hall, the public library, public works facilities, water and wastewater facilities, the SNAP Center and the Central Fire Station.

That 2022 staff report said the assessment would examine building conditions, existing documentation, HVAC equipment, structural items, roof and wall systems, mechanical and electrical systems, plumbing, fire protection, parking, drainage, landscaping, access and ADA-related issues. It also said the final report would include cost models and recommendations based on the findings.

The police department’s location also sits within Denison’s downtown planning discussion. The city’s Vision Forward plan for Downtown Denison says downtown should continue to house governmental facilities, including City Hall, fire and police departments.

The July 13 packet shows the June 23 minutes were placed on the consent agenda for council action. The packet reviewed for this report does not state what decision, if any, the council later made on a police facility.