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The Washington Police Department is set to move into a new $8 million facility next week after a ribbon cutting revealing the completed project on May 6.

The building provides WPD a new permanent home after years of using a temporary location on US 264. The department’s original station on 3rd Street was damaged by flooding during Hurricane Florence in 2018.

The new 17,000-square-foot building, located at 251 Bridge Street, will also house the N.C. License Plate Agency. Features include a modernized evidence storage area for improved security and room for future growth.

Total project costs, including land purchase, engineering, design and oversight, came in at just under $10 million, according to City Manager Jonathan Russell. City council started saving for the project around 7 years ago and additional funding came from FEMA’s flood assistance and low-interest loans.

“We are excited about the new PD and feel that the selected location provides a centralized site to access police services and improves the aesthetics of the corridor coming into town,” Russell said. “We wanted the building to be welcoming and inviting while also being functional for its intended purpose. We feel like this has been achieved with this new facility.”

Russell said the temporary location on US 264 will be vacated, making it available for a new tenant. The city continues to evaluate future use of the 3rd Street building, he said.

“This project is long overdue and has been made possible by elected officials and staff, both past and present, that shared this vision and helped bring it to fruition” Russell said. “We look forward to it being a fixture in the community for years to come.”