The season of bulldozed buildings and noisy development has officially begun, and Madison’s “midtown” district will be no exception. Construction began this fall on the Madison Police Department’s newest station, located on the city’s near-west side.
Police and city leaders broke ground Wednesday on the Midtown District station, which will sit southwest of Camp Randall Stadium. Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said he sees the new station as an opportunity to face the rising availability of firearms and ongoing opioid epidemic.
In March 2014, the city of Madison purchased the former location of the Mount Olive Lutheran Church at 4020 Mineral Point Rd., hoping to increase equity and responsibility throughout the “midtown” area of Madison.
Chief Mike Koval said he plans to increase growth and responsiveness, saying the new station will allow police officers to spread their services throughout current stations in the West District.
In the city’s 2017 budget, Soglin included $700,000 for operation and $295,000 for vehicles and similar equipment. Soglin did not originally include the $10.5 million police station into the budget, suggesting putting off construction until next year. After a lengthy debate, the alders agreed to begin construction this year.
The new police station is expected to be completed by August 2018.
