A restoration and rehabilitation team was busy working at the Wildwood Police Department’s building Tuesday after it was damaged by a fire over the weekend.
Police Chief Paul Valentino said an insurance adjuster already had visited the building, located at 100 Huey St., and the cleanup team was busy taking care of the damage left behind by an electrical fire that severely damaged a portion of the building Sunday.
The incident happened shortly after 3:30 p.m. when an electrical wire fell on a fence attached to the 70-year-old building, causing current to flow into the mechanical room. As the fire burned, dispatchers ran from the building to safety, with no injuries being reported.
City Manager Jason McHugh told Wildwood commissioners Monday night that the first priority is to restore power to the police department, which quickly moved its services to three different buildings and was back up and running 45 minutes after the fire was first reported. On Tuesday morning, McHugh said the city was working with an electrical company to order the replacement equipment needed to restore power. He added that he’s hopeful that will occur soon so the entire scope of the damage can be assessed.
“Until we get the building up and running and turn the power on, we won’t know the extent of the damage,” he said.
Valentino said it’s important for Wildwood residents to know that their police department is fully operational. He said patrol services are being handled through the department’s annex in Brownwood, his dispatchers are working out of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office on nearby Powell Road and the administrative team is housed in the Wildwood Community Center.
Valentino also reiterated that he’s thankful everyone got out of the burning building safely on Sunday afternoon.
“That’s what matters the most,” he said.
And he added a word of praise for his officers, staff and city employees who have made everything run as smoothly as possible since the incident.
“You know, it’s almost like feeling like a proud parent,” he said. “Our department has always been like that, but everyone just took it up a notch and did whatever was necessary. I couldn’t be more thankful.”
The city currently is in the planning stages for a new $6.9 million police department headquarters that will be located on a seven-acre site at the southwest corner of County Road 462 West and U.S. 301 The stucco-and-brick building will have a sally port for secure transfer of suspects and a moveable wall in the community room.
At Monday’s meeting, commissioners authorized McHugh to proceed with hiring a construction manager at risk to supervise the project, which will be funded by $7 million in revenue bonds issued through Citizens First Bank. They also authorized him to take any necessary emergency steps regarding the fire without prior commission approval.
Besides the Brownwood annex, McHugh said officials have discussed opening another police substation at Martin Luther King Jr. Park on the west side of the city. If that happens, officers could work out of a city-owned building at the park, which is located off County Road 213 a short distance from State Road 44.
