At the request of Kiel Police Chief Dave Funkhouser, the Kiel City Council approved funds to renovate the police department's lobby and front office area. There were a lot of reasons why the project needed to be done, but the need for creating a more secure environment for the police department was the driving factor for the Chief to push forward with the project.
"One of the first things I noticed when I came here to Kiel was the urgent need to make our police department a more secure facility. Prior to this renovation, there was no security at all, anyone could come and go freely. This was obviously a major concern and we needed to do something to better protect our staff and the public."
The renovation included the addition of a new wall in the lobby area which will prevent unauthorized access to the inner office areas of the police department. That new wall also includes a security glass window, steel door, and newly mounted cameras which all add new levels of security that until now did not exist.
Also as part of the renovation, the old lobby area was squared off and the clerical staff's work space was then increased. The office area now has a new work station, cabinets, and shelving areas which not only provide for more storage of records, but also provides a safe and more efficient work environment. "When we designed the work space, we recognized that more than 75% of our old front office was comprised of our lobby which didn't make any sense at all. The new clerical staff area is now double what it was before and it is more secure too. It looks nice and is very user friendly."
Kraus Construction of Kiel won the bid on the project and served as the contractor for the work. "We are very pleased with the quality of work that Kraus Construction did for us. The final project is much better than we had hoped for and we've received lots of compliments on it from everyone who has seen it."
The Chief also said that members of his staff are re-designing the lobby area. "We are adding a wall of history so we can display some of our Kiel P.D. memorabilia including old photographs of former officers who worked for us. It's a nice way to honor the people who have served the city for many years."
The Chief welcomes any residents to stop in and see the new lobby area during normal business hours.
