CHAPTER 48

The first account you see there is my salary. Since I was just appointed I'm not seeking an increase. Next line is for the salaries of the lieutenants. There's an increase here because you recently approved two new positions at my request. Otherwise, there's no change there." That's how it went as I progressed through the entire department budget. I had spoken several times to the Garage Manager and he had told me that he had his own budget which included parts and tires for all city vehicles. That was a relief to me because I basically knew nothing about vehicle maintenance or how to budget for it.

There were a few questions, of course, but for the most part the people told me that the increases were understandable and expected. One area that was questioned heavily was my request that we double the officers on the midnight shift. "Within the past two weeks there have been three calls to bars in the early morning. Two of those calls required eight officers and one required ten to deal with drunk men fighting and throwing chairs and pool balls at the officers. In the first two cases the officers were able to restore order, but there were arrests and paperwork and transport to the county jail. Several were treated at the County Hospital. That left the city grossly unprotected for more than three hours. In the final case it was more than four hours. That's inexcusable. Three days later we had a bad accident involving a drunk driver and two other cars. Four people went to the hospital. We had six patrol cars and twelve officers involved from about 1:30 a.m. through almost 5:00 between directing traffic and protecting the EMT's and then traffic control for the fire department while they addressed all of the spilled gasoline. Once they were done four of them spent the rest of their shift plus two hours each of overtime at headquarters with the paperwork the state requires."

"Matt, should we have our own jail? I don't think we have much need most of the time."

"You're right—most of the time, but we had three incidents in less than two weeks where a couple of cells would have been helpful." They took no action, but did ask me for a study on the problem. Finally, I nodded to Mr. Fredericks. "Now we come to a pet project of mine. The city isn't all that big, but we still have more than eighteen square miles to patrol. On a map Bascomb's landing looks like a long and relatively thin rectangle, bounded by the creek on the south and railroad tracks on the north. To cover all of that area we have only a single police station. I'd like to suggest that the city purchase land near each end for a combination youth and senior citizen center and police department substation.

"When we conducted the drug bust we confiscated 1.25 million dollars that was intended to purchase the drugs. Because we were the lead police force and because the arrest occurred within city limits we should receive 75 percent or $937,500 which I request should go to this project." I would have continued, but Lucy had told me to stop here so she could speak.

"My father has pledged $250,000 for this project and I pledge an additional $100,000. We are in dire need of recreational facilities for our youth and for our senior citizens and having a police presence in the neighborhoods would go a long way to making the areas safer."

"I asked Mr. Fredericks from the planning department to put together a few preliminary drawings. I'll let him explain them to you." He set up an easel where the entire Council and most of the public could see it, then turned back to the Council members to speak.

"What I've tried to do is maximize space and minimize cost. To do that I suggest you consider a prefabricated building. The quality has increased tremendously over the past few years now that most of the builders use robotic construction techniques. The buildings I envision could be made of individual sections that fit into a framework made of aircraft quality aluminum that I'll show you in a few minutes. They will be six inches thick to provide insulation that is superior to anything most of us have in our homes and they can be as long—high—as we want them to be. In this case I have specified twenty feet which is more than most gymnasiums have and a slanted roof made of the same materials. A slanted roof handles rain better than a flat roof and is less susceptible to leaks."

Over the next ten minutes he showed computer renderings of the interior of the gym as well as the sizable rooms for the senior citizens. Finally, he showed how everyone entering the building would walk through a hallway that could be seen from the substation. He stopped then for questions.

"Is there land at both ends of the community for these buildings, Mr. Fredericks?"

"Yes, Ma'am, he responded. "There's a parcel of approximately 390 acres on Maple Drive in the east and another of more than 500 acres in the west on Spruce. They're owned by…."

"Yes, they're owned by Bascomb Mining and Land," Lucy stated. "I'll speak to my father about the land. Mr. Fredericks, how much land would we need if we wanted outside basketball courts and a field that could be used for baseball, football, and soccer?"

Fredericks obviously knew his stuff because he recommended different fields for each use and a minimum of twenty-five acres per site including parking for fifty cars. I then told the Council that I envisioned a minimum of two officers for each substation for each of the first two shifts from 8:00 a.m. through 12:00 midnight, explaining that I had already applied for a federal grant to cover the expense of the salaries and benefits. Discussion continued for more than half an hour, but it was obvious that there was a lot of support for the idea even if taxes had to be increased to pay for the incidental costs. The meeting was adjourned at 11:00. I was exhausted as I made the short drive home.