Department of Public Safety moving once multimillion-dollar project completed

Old building on Woodrow Wilson has long list of problems

Old building on Woodrow Wilson has long list of problems

FUTURE PLANS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. >> THE CLOCK IS TICKING FOR A NEW BUILDING FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THIS ONE ON WOODROW WILSON HAS A LAUNDRY LIST OF PROBLEMS. FOR STARTERS, THE BUILDING HAS SUCH INCREDIBLE FOUNDATION PROBLEMS THAT IT’S ACTUALLY LEANING. BUT THE TIMELINE OF WHEN STAFF CAN GET OUT OF THIS BUILDING IS STILL UNCLEAR. THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY HEADQUARTERS WAS BUILT IN 1976. THE PAST DECADE HAS BROUGHT ASBESTOS PROBLEMS, GAS LEAKS AND A FOUNDATION THAT IS SHAKY. ENTER THE NEW SITE IN PEARL, ACROSS FROM THE STATE. CRIME LAB. >> WE WILL HAVE OUR MEMORIAL PARK HERE WHERE WE’LL HAVE OUR FALLEN OFFICER MEMORIAL CEREMONY, PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSIONER SHAWN TINDALL GAVE ME A TOUR OF THE NEW DPS SITE THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS AGENCY’S HISTORY, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE ALL OUR DIVISIONS UNDERNEATH ONE ROOF. AND I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH THAT MEANS. AND THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING ALL YOUR STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT FALLS UNDERNEATH THIS UMBRELLA, UNDERNEATH ONE ROOF, WORKING TOGETHER, SHARING INFORMATION, SHARING INTELLIGENCE, THE PRESENT PRICE TAG OF THE CONSTRUCTION HAS NOW RISEN TO BETWEEN 65 AND $70 MILLION, AND WILL LEAVE A VACANCY AT WOODROW WILSON IN I-55. >> TINDALL SAYS THE STATE CAN MAKE SOME OF THAT MONEY BACK BY SELLING THE CURRENT SITE. ONCE IT’S VACANT. >> THAT’S GOING TO BE A PRIME PIECE OF REAL ESTATE THAT COULD BE DEVELOPED BY A PRIVATE DEVELOPER, OR IT COULD BE USED MAYBE BY THE HOSPITALS. AND SO THERE’S A NUMBER OF OPTIONS THERE. WELL, THE FIRST THING, OF COURSE, IS TO TAKE THE BUILDING DOWN. >> IT’S FULL OF ASBESTOS. CAN’T BE USED FOR ANYTHING ELSE. >> LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR DELBERT HOSEMANN SAYS THE STATE HAS BEEN LOOKING AT WHAT TO DO WITH THE PROPERTY, ACCEPTING THAT IT WILL FIRST HAVE TO SPEND A GOOD BIT OF MONEY TO TEAR IT DOWN BECAUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. BUT HE AND OTHERS ARE EYEING COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT POSSIBILITIES, NESTLED SO CLOSELY TO MULTIPLE HOSPITALS AND ON A HIGHLY VISIBLE SEVEN AND A HALF ACRE LOCATION, WE’VE GOT SOME SMART DEVELOPERS HERE AND I’VE DISCUSSED IT WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT ONES, AND THE FIRST THING TO DO IS GET THE BUILDING DOWN, AND THEN WE’LL HAVE THE GROUND READY TO GO. >> AND I COULD EVEN ENVISION, UM, THERE BEING A WALK OVER, LIKE THEY HAVE A LOT OF OTHER PLACES TO LEFLEUR’S BLUFF. >> THE ORIGINAL TIMELINE FOR THE NEW DPS BUILDING WAS ORIGINALLY SLATED TO BE THE END OF THIS YEAR. THEN THEY WERE LOOKING AT THE SPRING OF 2025. THE LATEST CHECK SAYS IT COULD PROBABLY BE LATE SUMMER OR EARLY FALL BEFORE IT’S FINALLY UP,

Department of Public Safety moving once multimillion-dollar project completed

Old building on Woodrow Wilson has long list of problems

The state of Mississippi is currently in the midst of a multimillion-dollar construction project that will take hundreds of employees out of Jackson and over to Rankin County.The clock is ticking for a new building for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, as the old building on Woodrow Wilson Avenue has a laundry list of problems. For starters, the foundation of the building is so bad it is actually leaning, but the timeline of when staff can get out of the building is unclear. DPS headquarters was built in 1976. The past decade has brought asbestos problems, gas leaks and a foundation that is shaky. Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell recently gave 16 WAPT News a tour of the new DPS site that is currently under construction in Pearl, across from the state crime lab.“For the first time in our agency’s history, we are going to have all of our divisions underneath one roof,” Tindell said. “I cannot tell you how much that means and the importance of having all of your state law enforcement that falls under this umbrella underneath one roof, working together, sharing information and sharing intelligence.”The present price tag of the construction has now risen to between $65 million and $70 million and will leave a vacancy at Woodrow Wilson and Interstate 55. Tindell said the state can make some of that money back by selling the current site once it’s vacant. “That is going to be a prime piece of real estate that can be developed or used by the hospitals,” Tindell said. “There are a number of options there.”“The first thing, of course, is take the building down. It’s full of asbestos and can’t be used for anything else,” said Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. Hosemann said the state has been looking at what to do with the property, accepting that it will first have to spend a good bit of money to tear it down because of the environmental issues. But he and others are eyeing commercial development possibilities because the property is nestled so closely to multiple hospitals and a highly visible 7.5-acre location.“We have got some smart developers here, and I have discussed with several different ones,” Hosemann said. “One of the first things you do is get the building down, and then we will have the ground ready to go. I can even envision having a walk-over like they have at other places, to LeFleur’s Bluff.”The original timeline for the new DPS building was slated to be the end of this year, then it was the spring of next year. Now, it’s more likely that it will be late summer or early fall of next year.Lawmakers had proposed legislation to allow the Department of Finance and Administration to start marketing the site on Woodrow Wilson now, but it didn’t pass. It will be up to lawmakers, starting in January, to decide what to do with the DPS site in Jackson.

PEARL, Miss. —

The state of Mississippi is currently in the midst of a multimillion-dollar construction project that will take hundreds of employees out of Jackson and over to Rankin County.

The clock is ticking for a new building for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, as the old building on Woodrow Wilson Avenue has a laundry list of problems. For starters, the foundation of the building is so bad it is actually leaning, but the timeline of when staff can get out of the building is unclear. DPS headquarters was built in 1976. The past decade has brought asbestos problems, gas leaks and a foundation that is shaky.

Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell recently gave 16 WAPT News a tour of the new DPS site that is currently under construction in Pearl, across from the state crime lab.

“For the first time in our agency’s history, we are going to have all of our divisions underneath one roof,” Tindell said. “I cannot tell you how much that means and the importance of having all of your state law enforcement that falls under this umbrella underneath one roof, working together, sharing information and sharing intelligence.”

16 WAPT

Commissioner Sean Tindell

The present price tag of the construction has now risen to between $65 million and $70 million and will leave a vacancy at Woodrow Wilson and Interstate 55. Tindell said the state can make some of that money back by selling the current site once it’s vacant.

“That is going to be a prime piece of real estate that can be developed or used by the hospitals,” Tindell said. “There are a number of options there.”

“The first thing, of course, is take the building down. It’s full of asbestos and can’t be used for anything else,” said Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann.

Hosemann said the state has been looking at what to do with the property, accepting that it will first have to spend a good bit of money to tear it down because of the environmental issues. But he and others are eyeing commercial development possibilities because the property is nestled so closely to multiple hospitals and a highly visible 7.5-acre location.

“We have got some smart developers here, and I have discussed with several different ones,” Hosemann said. “One of the first things you do is get the building down, and then we will have the ground ready to go. I can even envision having a walk-over like they have at other places, to LeFleur’s Bluff.”

The original timeline for the new DPS building was slated to be the end of this year, then it was the spring of next year. Now, it’s more likely that it will be late summer or early fall of next year.

Lawmakers had proposed legislation to allow the Department of Finance and Administration to start marketing the site on Woodrow Wilson now, but it didn’t pass. It will be up to lawmakers, starting in January, to decide what to do with the DPS site in Jackson.