Ribbon cutting last Friday, tours on Saturday were well attended; officers move in

Berlin officials, last Friday, cut the ribbon on the new $3.1 million Berlin Police station near the corner of Flower Street and Assateague Road. Pictured, from left, are Councilman Zack Tyndall, Councilman Thom Gulyas, Police Chief Arnold Downing, Mayor Gee Williams, Councilman Troy Purnell, Town Administrator Laura Allen and Councilman Elroy Brittingham.

By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(Feb. 15, 2018) With the new Berlin Police station celebrating a ribbon cutting and well-attended open house last week, Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing joked Monday night that every member of the force had moved into the new building “except for the chief of police.”

“After 26 years, I’m not just going to run out of the door. I’m going to be last one to go down with the ship,” Downing said at the Town Council meeting.

He said the three-day transition to move from the old quarters, adjacent to Town Hall on William Street, to the $3.1 million facility near the corner of Flower Street and Assateague Road has been relatively smooth.

“Those little pains haven’t been bad at all … but we’re asking everybody to be patient with us,” he said. “We’re going to make contact with the county and the state and they’ve actually helped with some technical things, but everything is on pace to have a full move and have everybody out really soon.”

Mayor Gee Williams said the building, which is three times larger than the old station, combined 21st century technology with the 19th century charm that highlights downtown Berlin.

“I hope most folks don’t ever see the inside of the police station except the lobby, but if you ever have a chance to drop by, it’s very impressive,” Williams said. “Definitely, it reflects the heritage of [the town] … I think that means a lot to people.”

Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Berlin Police station, last Friday.

Downing thanked everyone for attending the ribbon cutting last Friday, and said about 100 citizens on Saturday attended an open house that included tours of the new facility.

“You never know how the community will react to anything,” Williams said. “But … certainly these last few days have been proof that there’s a lot of pride in this community.”

Downing said the last person to show up for a tour on Saturday was Sen. Jim Mathias.

“Oh, he’s right on time,” Williams said with a laugh.

“He made the statement that … the Berlin Police station is something tangible from that agreement that’s been made with the slots,” Downing said.

The town used mostly casino revenues to pay for the purchase of the property.

“For him to say, ‘Look at this, you can ride right by the highway and actually see something tangible,’” Downing said. “A lot of the other entities have actually done things with the money, but I don’t think you can have one of them come through at say, ‘look at that.’”