More than $3.3 million of renovations are underway in the City of Middletown. The changes impact both the police department and the city courthouses. Time Warner Cable News Jessica Chen has the story.
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. -- For more than 20 years, detectives in the Middletown Police Department worked in the basement filing cases. But that won't be the case any longer.
The department and the city courthouse will soon be undergoing a major transformation.
"It will be a better working environment," said Middletown Police Chief Bethencourt.
He said the department be adding new locker rooms and making way for the seven new police officers they're hiring this year.
He said their rearrangement will create better security.
"When they come to make a report, they won't have access to the entire department should something go wrong," said Bethencourt.
In addition to the more than $3.3 million renovation, the city courtrooms will be moving into a vacated building on South Street.
It used to house the federal courthouse that closed in January.
"Who would have better use for a court other than a municipality," said Middletown Mayor Joe DeStefano.
He said right now the city council chambers is being used as a temporary courthouse. But after the renovations, two judges will use the building for local and regional cases.
"With so much growth, the last thing the city needs is an empty building downtown," said Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther.
She secured $2.7 million of funding from the state for the renovations. DeStefano said the city is also putting in another $650,000.
Officials said they plan to open the new city courthouses by June 2016.