Oct. 19, 2005 – A Coral Bay police substation that has been in the works since the beginning of October will formally open at 3 p.m. Thursday, when Police Department officials hold a grand opening ceremony.
The substation is located at Cocoloba shopping center on Route 107. The substation is on the lower level and is reached by a walkway between the shopping center and Crabby's Watersports.
Police Sgt. Thomas Hannah said the substation is in response to growing problems in the Coral Bay area. Residents have complained that police stationed at the main station in Cruz Bay are slow to respond to Coral Bay problems.
"In the past, the police haven't been able to respond because they were tied up in Cruz Bay," East End resident Terry McKoy said.
With the station in Coral Bay, response time should be much quicker, he said.
Ray Sullivan, who owns Keep Me Posted in the Cocoloba Shopping Center, said she was pleased at the new police presence in Coral Bay.
"I'm loving it," she said, noting that she could hear the sound of saws going as a crew put the finishing touches on the substation.
Hannah said Wednesday that the substation is only a temporary measure until a permanent structure can be build. A spot near the Fire Station will house the permanent substation.
Hannah said that $45,000 recently appropriated by the Legislature will be added to a $250,000 appropriation to put up the building. The price tag now stands at $287,000, with the remainder of the $295,000 to be used for furniture and equipment, he added.
Initial bids showed that the $250,000 appropriation was insufficient, Hannah said, and that new bids will be solicited.
"It should be out to bid already," he said.
Hannah said the substation's telephone number is 774-1111, but no one answered Wednesday afternoon.
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