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International Falls debate over police facility focuses on Kutaska renovation, cost uncertainty
Summary
City council previously voted to proceed with renovation of the city-owned Kutaska building for a police facility; residents and councilors pressed for clearer cost estimates and comparisons with the county-owned Law Enforcement Center during the March 3 meeting.
International Falls City Council members and residents spent large portions of the March 3 meeting disputing whether to renovate the city-owned Kutaska building for the police department or to occupy space at the county Law Enforcement Center (LEC), with citizens demanding firmer cost estimates before construction proceeds.
Council had voted 4–1 at its Feb. 18 meeting to move forward with Kraus-Anderson for design and construction services for the Kutaska project; several speakers at Monday’s meeting sought to rescind or delay that course until the city provides a line-item cost analysis and clear comparison to the LEC option.
The dispute centers on how much space the police need, the projected construction and renovation costs and whether the LEC — which the county owns — could be reused. Resident Bill Valentine and others told the council they had been given or had found conflicting…
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