GEORGETOWN, Del. - Georgetown officials broke ground Friday morning on a new police and public works facility across from Delaware Technical Community College, saying the project is intended to modernize town operations and serve a growing area of Georgetown.
The facility will replace the town’s police station, which was acquired in 1991, and will provide expanded space for the public works department. Town leaders said the project has been years in the making.
Georgetown Police Chief Ralph Holm, who is in his 27th year with the department, said seeing the project move forward is meaningful.
"It's [an] amazing feeling. Obviously, I never dreamed, when I first came to Georgetown that this would be something that would happen, and then even when it was a suggestion, it was, 'Oh, it'll take 10 years to do,' and so, to have it come happen so quickly, and the fact that I'll be here to not only see it as it grows, but be here when it's open, is just an amazing thing," Holm said.
In addition to housing police operations, the facility will include updated space for the public works department. Mayor Bill West said the location and visibility of the buildings reflect the town's growth.
"It's a breath of fresh air for the town of Georgetown because people who use Route 18 now are going to see these buildings and know what Georgetown's about, and this is a growth area. Things are growing west, so we might as well be where our problem areas are closer to the highway," West said.
Chief Holm says the new facility will also provide a better space for staff members.
The expanded facility also comes as the Georgetown Police Department nears full staffing. Officials said the department has 21 officers currently on staff, with four additional officers attending the police academy, bringing the department close to its full complement of 25 positions.
"The interior is not going to look like a traditional police department because we're introducing some color, some brightness, and hopefully, that is going to help with people's morale psychologically," Holm said.
Officials said construction on the new police and public works facility is expected to be completed by March 2027.
Planning for the project officially began in September 2024. Georgetown residents approved the project in a November 2024 referendum authorizing the town to borrow up to $18 million for construction.