MOUNT VERNON, Ohio—Construction is officially underway on Mount Vernon’s long‑planned police station, a project city leaders describe as a generational investment in public safety and civic infrastructure. The groundbreaking on Sychar Road marks the start of a two‑year effort to build a modern, purpose‑built headquarters that will replace the department’s aging downtown facility and support officers and residents for decades to come.
The new 36,858‑square‑foot police station will sit on a nearly seven‑acre site just south of the Knox County Service Center. Designed by BKV Group, the building consolidates all police operations under one roof, addressing long‑standing space, safety, and technology limitations in the current headquarters at 5 N. Gay Street. That building, constructed in 1974 inside the Plaza Building, has been described by officials as overcrowded, structurally compromised, and no longer suitable for modern policing standards.
City leaders have emphasized that the new station is not simply a replacement but a strategic upgrade. The facility will include dedicated spaces for administration, records, investigations, patrol operations, evidence processing, and training, along with a secure sallyport and improved holding areas. A key feature is an indoor firearms range engineered to double as a community emergency shelter, expanding the building’s role beyond daily police operations.
The project team reflects a broad collaboration. CK Construction is serving as Construction Manager at Risk, overseeing phased Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) packages that allow early site work and long‑lead equipment procurement. Pizzuti Solutions is acting as the owner’s representative, while engineering partners include Jezerinac Geers for structural design and Heapy for mechanical and electrical systems.
Financing for the project is structured to minimize taxpayer impact. City council authorized up to $29 million in Treasury Notes, timed to coincide with expiring municipal bonds so that residents will not see a new levy. The first GMP package, totaling $6.58 million, covers excavation, utilities, foundations, and procurement of critical mechanical components such as the station’s generator, which carries a nearly 40‑week lead time.
For Police Chief Robert Kit Morgan, the groundbreaking represents the culmination of nearly three decades of discussion about replacing the department’s outdated headquarters. He has described the new station as a facility designed “for the next generation and the one after that,” with flexibility to adapt as policing needs evolve.
Major construction will continue through 2027, with interior build‑out and technology installation scheduled for the final months of the project. Once complete, the Sychar Road campus will give Mount Vernon a modern, efficient, and community‑focused police headquarters—one built to serve the city well into the future.
