Village tackles sinking police station problem

The Grafton police station is sinking due to foundation issues when the Washington Street building was built in the 1980s.

Last week, the village’s Finance Committee approved having an engineering study of the structure done for $4,500 because it has continued to shift.

Officials said the problem became apparent when an initial evaluation found five pipe penetrations in the building.

“Apparently, the back corner of the police department has shifted on its foundation a bit,” Village Administrator Jesse Thyes said.

Thyes said the foundation issue is in the original building that was constructed in the 1980s and not in a more recent addition.

Although the damage isn’t severe, it needs to be remedied to maintain the structural integrity of the building.

Thyes said the village’s public works department also inspected the building and found that ice and water was not the cause of the problem.

“We believe there was faulty construction when the building was built,” Thyes said.

The village received several bids for the engineering study and agreed to hire HavTek Structural of Minnesota for $4,500. Other bids each came in at more than $6,000.  

Police Chief Jeff Caponera said the structural deterioration has caused exterior cracking issues but not impaired the functionality of the building.

“We just want to get this figured out,” Caponera said. “This is what happens to buildings over the years.”