City of Berryville, Ark., looks to move police station

BERRYVILLE, Ark. (KY3) - The city of Berryville is purchasing a property previously owned by Entergy Arkansas along U.S. 62.

The city plans on using the building as its new police department, which has been at its current location next to city hall since 1991. Police Chief Robert Bartos says the department doubled in size in that period.

“At the time we moved from city hall, we had seven officers, so we’ve grown in size and not any in space,” he explained. “Most of our officers share desks and one area where they’re stacked on top of each other.”

Bartos has been with the department for 21 years and says the new facility will bring many benefits.

“People coming through town, we’re right there, where here we’re a little off the main drag, so if you’re not from Berryville, you may not be able to locate it,” he said. “It also gives us a lot of room to grow, compared to this location where we don’t have any.”

Bartos says the facility will bring added safety with a fenced-in bay area for inmate processing. Neighboring businesses also feel the safety.

Makayla Martinez owns Good Coffee Co. on U.S. 62 near the prospective property and says the move makes sense, given U.S. 62 is the main thoroughfare of Berryville.

“It is always busy. We’ve got a lot of traffic through here, everyone coming through Eureka,” said Martinez. “I think it’ll give them better access to get places a lot faster, and obviously, it makes us feel safer and better here with them right down the road.”

The county was also looking to purchase the building, hopeful to utilize it as an office of emergency management, veterans office, and polling center. It recently bowed out due to a lack of support from the quorum court.

The city has not officially finalized the purchase, waiting on inspections and other formalities. Chief Bartos says once those things happen, the department will look to move into the location sooner rather than later.

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