|
City Purchases Land for New Steele Creek Police Station (January 30, 2011) In December, the City of Charlotte purchased 3 acres of land on the southwest corner of Westinghouse Blvd and S Tryon St for a new station for the Steele Creek Division of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Captain Allan Rutledge, Steele Creek Division Commander, said "While in attendance at community meetings, I consistently heard community members request that the police station be located closer to the actual Steele Creek area. We heard those requests." The Steele Creek Police Station construction is on the list of Capital Improvements for next fiscal year. "If all goes smoothly, the city will begin construction of the new station sometime around fall of 2011 and occupy the building in late fall or winter of 2012," Captain Rutledge said. The Steele Creek Division currently is located at the old Police Academy Building behind the new Police and Fire Academy at the corner of Shopton Road and Beam Road. This building is grossly inadequate to meet the needs of the division and is located near the edge of the division territory. The new station will be built at the former location of the Arrowood Restaurant. (See WikiMapia locator.) This key location in Steele Creek is now vacant, and the new police station will be a great improvement to the corner and an asset to the community. The new, centrally located police station will make the police more visible in the community. The current station is almost hidden from view. Having the new station on a high-traffic corner will help residents understand the local officers are part of the community and not just driving in from some distant location.
Although the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is an agency of the City of Charlotte, it also serves the unincorporated area of Mecklenburg County, including all of Steele Creek. Most department funding comes from city taxes and the Police Service District Tax, which are paid by property owners in unincorporated Mecklenburg County. To comment on this story, please visit the Steele Creek Forum. |
