NORFOLK, Neb. -- The Norfolk Police Division has shed light on the reasons fueling its pursuit of substantial changes to its aging station. 

Built in 1986, the Norfolk Police Station has been a visual landmark for many residents. From the outside, the building may look good for its age, but on the inside, the problems become more apparent.

Employees have dealt with plumbing issues, leaking roofs and a lack of space for the more than 60 people who work inside the building.

Norfolk's Chief of Police Don Miller said the station has had minimal renovations since its original construction, including a dispatch center expansion and parking lot extension. 

"We have literally outgrown every single area," Chief Miller Explained. "We don't have an area for packaging evidence, we don't have an area for housing juvenile prisoners...we don't have a good safe area to package evidence that has the proper ventilation, we don't have evidence storage, we're bursting at the seams on putting evidence in different areas."

Some workers have even needed to set up a workspace in hallways, requiring them to stand up from their office to let others by throughout the day.

"We've looked at doing things in the past, but it wasn't a priority, or it wasn't feasible," Miller said. "We realized we're at the point now where we have to do something."

After consulting with an architect and conducting a "space needs assessment", which determined the best cost-effective option was to renovate the existing area.

The renovation includes a two-story addition on the east side of the building, and a single-story garage on the backside of the addition, expanding the building to 25,000 square feet.

The project is hoping to secure funding with a voter-approved half-cent sales tax, which the city council could place on this year's election ballot.

"This is a very functional conservative, very good plan that I'm very happy with...but we need all of it [the renovation]," Miller said. "We don't need part of it, because if we did that we'd be in the same boat that we are now. I'm going to need the community's support to make this happen."

Miller expressed hope that the changes would also boost employee morale and increase worker retention if implemented.

Miller is waiting for the council's decision to ensure the public is getting the most accurate and up-to-date information, but said he is available to talk with civic groups and is available for questions.