VIDEO: Finishing the Plans

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s been a long process for the Starkville Police Department.

The completion date for the new headquarter renovations has been extended again, due to flooding situations in the basement.

Tuesday night, the mayor and board of aldermen met with the contracting company and passed a motion to see this construction finally completed.

The city has already spent over $5 million on this renovation project, and they don’t want to pay another cent.

They’re also not in a hurry.

With all that has been put towards this project, the mayor, the aldermen, and especially the police want to see this done and done right.

“The motion I made last night was to address the flooding issues that came to our attention during the latter part of June of 2017,” said Ward 6 Alderman and Vice Mayor, Roy Perkins.

This was around the time the new police headquarters was supposed to have its grand opening.

Flooding problems soon put a hold on that.

“A credible source came to me and informed me from his eye witness account that water was leaking in the basement of the building,” said Perkins.

City leaders met with the company, Weathers Construction on Tuesday to come to an arrangement on how to get rid of the water and finish the building

“I just told him we appreciate what you’re doing, but it is unacceptable to the citizens of the city of Starkville for there to be water seeping or flooding on the floor of our brand new, renovated police station,” said Perkins.

To solve future flooding problems, Weathers Construction will place a sump pump in the basement.

“The pump kind of goes down, beneath the floor, so if the water ever gets to rise up or something that pump will disallow that water from rising up inside the building,” said Perkins.

Not a cent of taxpayer dollars will be used in the process.

“The contractor to fully eradicate the water and the flooding issue at no cost to the city,” said Perkins.

The *new* completion date is now August 11th.

Perkins says that date is a little flexible.

They just want to make sure that everything is done to the letter of the contract, so the police can move into their new building.