City breaks ground on a new east Wichita police substation. Here’s where it will be

The city of Wichita broke ground Thursday on the police department’s new Patrol East substation, which is being paid for almost entirely through federal COVID-19 relief money.

The city council allocated $9.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the new 24,000-square-foot facility at the southeast corner of Lincoln and Pinecrest. The project costs $10.6 million overall.

The new facility will accommodate around 150 staff members and include a public reception area, law enforcement locker rooms, a fitness area, a short-term holding space and evidence processing and storage facilities.

Construction, which is being handled by McCownGordon, is expected to last 17 months.

“Public safety is job number one for us,” District 3 council member Michael Hoheisel said at Thursday morning’s groundbreaking ceremony.

Hoheisel said the Wichita Police Department has “far outgrown” its current Patrol East bureau on south Edgemoor.

He said input was collected from more than 200 people in the neighborhood and that an “overwhelming majority” approved of the new site for the police station, which is next to the Wichita Public Schools administrative offices and Curtis Middle School.

“I know that there’s a whole patrol bureau of officers that are very excited to see this project come to a conclusion,” said Wichita police Capt. Jason Stevens, commander for the current Patrol East bureau.

“It’s been long awaited but it’s going to be worth that wait once we finally break ground and get this started.”

The new substation was designed by GLMV Architecture.