The new offices of the Watonga Police Department were opened to the public on Friday morning complete with coffee and, naturally, doughnuts. The Watonga Economic Development Authority held a coffee social in the newly remodeled space to unveil what used to be city services and the council chambers. When the city purchased its own new space on Main Street, the old ones were up for grabs. Shane Moore was hired to revamp the space, pulling out the raised dais in the council chambers, painting the walls a soft dove gray and installing some new flooring. Luckily the old clerk’s office carpet did not need to be replaced and just received a good cleaning. The former treasurer’s office is now the office of Chief of Police Beth Massey. The building even has secured space for the department’s armory. Most of the furniture and other equipment was either moved over from the former police department across the street or repurposed to meet the department’s needs after being left by the former occupants of the building.
The open house, Massey said, was the only day that citizens had the run of the offices. Thereafter, they must be accompanied by an officer if they are going past the front desks. The fire department is also housed in the building, occupying the offices once used by the water and light department. A large part of the fire equipment, however, resides at the armory on Main Street.