PSP officials rededicate headquarters
BUTLER TWP — Pennsylvania State Police officials rededicated the Troop D Headquarters on Tuesday, at a ceremony that drew local, county and state officials to the area and officially closed a multi-million-dollar project to upgrade and expand the nearly 70-year-old building.
The occasion also drew State Police Commissioner Col. Tyree Blocker, who said the barracks, which was built in 1949, had been turned into a “state-of-the art building.”
“Without a doubt, stations like this form the cornerstone of our ability to provide quality police services to the citizens of Pennsylvania,” said Blocker, addressing a crowd that included Butler County commissioners, city and township officials, state Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-21st, and many retired troopers.
The project to upgrade and expand the headquarters first began in 2008, said Capt. Steve Ignatz, the troop's commanding officer, with the goal of creating “a modern, much more police friendly workspace.”
Construction of a 5,500-square-foot addition to the building, which is owned by the state Department of General Services, kicked off about 2½ years ago. The project focused on expanding work areas for the troop's patrol and criminal investigation units, as well as adding office space and new conference rooms for the troop.
Lt. Daniel Hines, the troop's patrol section commander, said the new addition's layout, which places the patrol and criminal investigation units next to each other, would help younger troopers more easily work with more seasoned veterans. Previously, Hines said, the two units were located away from each other, making communication more difficult.
“The camaraderie is just really strong,” said Hines of how the new facility was impacting the troop's operations.
The entire construction project cost around $4 million, Ignatz said, and also included a major overhaul of the original building — a first for the structure. That work included installation of a new heating and cooling system, new equipment like computers, and work on the building's wiring, bathrooms, and removal of asbestos during the renovation.
“Basically the whole building was remodeled,” Ignatz said. “It was a huge undertaking. It was not a pleasant experience, but it was brought about by necessity.”
The troop runs forensic services, patrol operations, criminal investigations, community services, fire marshal investigations and more out of the headquarters, which is located at 200 Barracks Road. Ignatz said the building houses about 100 workers each day.
