COWETA, Okla. — Coweta is growing, and there has yet to be a new public safety complex. 2 News reported that the city passed a one-cent sales tax to build a bigger facility to house police and fire earlier this year, but officials say that might not be in place for another two years.
People in Coweta say enough is enough.
Coweta police are working with what they have – and it's not much. They currently have a rusty, pink jail with only two cells and a dispatch center fit for one.
But over at the fire department, it's worse. They're operating out of a trailer home since their old station has mold.
"Will it be cramped? Will it be difficult at times? Yes, it will be," said Coweta Police Chief Mike Bell.
Chief Bell fought for the one-cent sales tax – which passed earlier this year – to fund a new public safety complex to meet the city's growth.
But as of late October 2023, the proposed land on 113th Street near Walmart - is still bare.
Miranda Lee owns Coweta Nutrition, a block away.
"The thing just passed, I don't know. I thought they would have started on it," Lee said.
Knowing they're the ones that would protect her business from harm, it makes her uneasy seeing their current facilities. Not to mention all the growth that comes with it.
"We've had a lot of new business recently," Lee said. "A lot of people are moving to Coweta, to Haskell to Porter, like around here. A lot of people like the rural area," she said.
But Chief Bell says they still need to finalize the land and design it.
"I have nowhere to store anything," Bell said. "I feel sorry for my secretary. We took a bathroom out next door. That's how desperate we are."
The new public safety center will also serve as a training facility and community center.
Chief Bell says it will likely be another two years before the public safety center gets built.
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