By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
The City of Olean hosted U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy at the Olean Municipal Building Wednesday for a
meeting and tour to address a long-overdue infrastructure improvement facing the Olean Police Department.
Mayor Amy B. Sherburne said Thursday that city officials have asked Langworthy to advocate for federal funding to help pay for a comprehensive structural overhaul, renovation of the Police Department facility.
The Olean Police Department operates out of a facility that has not received any significant structural upgrades,
footprint expansions or modern renovations since it was originally constructed in 1959, the mayor said.
For the last 67 years, the department’s physical space has remained completely untouched. The facility has reached a critical tipping point, with failing building systems, outdated safety infrastructure and a spatial layout that no longer complies with modern policing standards or accessibility requirements, Sherburne said.
The proposed City of Olean Police Department Modernization Project will completely reconfigure and renovate the existing layout, overhaul operational rooms, replace failing infrastructure and optimize the department’s
footprint to create an efficient, secure environment for law enforcement personnel, the mayor said.
In remarks outside the Police Department, Langworthy said he had secured funding for the project through community project funding requests.
Yes, it is in desperate need of infrastructure upgrades, including a new roof, an HVAC system, and they’ll also be able to reconfigure the building’s layout so it can meet the department’s current needs,” Langworthy said.
“This redesign will allow them to renovate administrative bookings, holding areas, and create a facility that improves officer safety and working conditions,” the congressman said.
“Our law enforcement officers dedicate their lives to protecting the Olean community, yet they are working
around the clock in a facility frozen in 1959,” said Mayor Amy Sherburne. “Securing this funding is not a luxury, it is a critical necessity. We cannot expect our officers to provide top-tier public service while operating within an obsolete, decaying infrastructure. We are incredibly grateful to Congressman Langworthy for stepping up to champion this project in Washington so we can finally give our officers the modern resources they need to keep Olean safe.”
The mayor said the meeting underscored a joint commitment “to securing the necessary federal
backing to see this modernization and ensuring the long-term safety of both Olean’s officers and the community they serve.”
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