Minnetrista Ignores Community Anger & Builds Police Station

Minnetrista recently announced that they are moving ahead with the plans to build a new $7.3 million police and public works facility, despite the recession. Though the residents aren't so keen on the idea; in fact, many of them are angered with the city. Minnetrista is a small town of 4,358 people but has the 7th highest city taxes per capita in the state of Minnesota and many feel this will only allow the city to be doomed. This opposition is made clear from numerous campaign-style signs along the road to city hall and websites as Save Minnetrista, which states residents will be robbed because of the project. Save Minnetrista wants residents to be able to vote on this issue - which the citizens currently don't have a voice in the construction.

However, the 18-year old police station in Minnetrista does need to be updated. The "multi-purpose" meeting room is also a lunch room, gun cleaning room, city staff and police conference room, and emergency command center. Right across the hall is the interrogation room, secured with a wooden door. To make it more shocking, the wall separating the interrogation room from the nearby holding cell is flimsy enough to talk through. Extra caution is used when working in the current police station - considering there's just not enough room. Public works employees work out of a construction trailer and their lunch room also double as a water testing lab. Even the garages are so compact that the drivers of city trucks take extra time to park in a specific order and police cars sit outside.

While many residents feel that the construction is too excessive for the current economic environment, the city argues that the economic conditions are favorable for building now because interest rates and construction costs are low. "Contractors are hungry. People are looking for work," city Administrator Mike Funk said. Funk said another reason now is the time to build is because the city is nearly finished paying off the bonds issues for the current police station, which he said was built to trim costs than to fill the needs of the city.

Although the City Council haven't given final approval for the project, construction is scheduled to begin in May and finish early in 2010.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.kare11.com/)