The new State Police barracks in Dunkirk has some activity on Thursday morning.

Tucked away on Main Street off Millard Fillmore Drive in the city of Dunkirk is a new state-of-the-art facility for law enforcement. Already, the New York State Police barracks is becoming a hive of activity with troopers working on site and heading out on patrols.

Roughly 5,000 square feet, the structure is able to house about 25 members while adding a more secure holding room. “The other building is dated and starting to show its age,” said Harold Litardo, administration captain for the New York State Police in 2020 when the project was announced. “This one will be bigger with newer technology.”

That is one of the comforts that come with being connected to Albany. Though no cost was attached to the project when it came before the city Planning Board three years ago, there are no worries about expenses when it comes to funding state facilities.

Once the State Police are out of the Route 60 location in Fredonia south of the roundabout, all three of their current county locations will have been built within the last 25 years. The other two — at the Thruway exit 59 and in the town of Ellicott north of Interstate 86 — are mansions compared to the outdated facilities that currently house the local departments.

According to last year’s budget, the state force was run on a $1 billion tab to taxpayers. As part of the operations, nearly $129 million was set aside for capital improvements.

Talk about luxury.

For the six municipal departments and Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department, the residents they serve — and those in the workforce — yearn for almost anything that’s been built within the last half-century. In the north county, especially, the two major departments — in Dunkirk and Fredonia — are housed in structures that serve their purpose but are behind the times. Dunkirk’s force is in City Hall, Fredonia’s in lower levels of village hall and the Opera House.

Both the city and village locations have been topics for upgrades in recent decades. Much of that discussion, however, has been filled with controversy. Dating back to the early 2000s, there was a hope that Dunkirk-Fredonia could build one building that serves two departments.

While members and chiefs of the department have gone on record as supporting the concept, it is not that simple with the municipal boards. Even in the 21st century — with many services being streamlined — both communities have trouble working together.

Sensing a loss of tradition and a possible decrease in response times, both the council and Village Board have balked — more than once — at finding common quarters. At one point, Fredonia desperately tasked Trustee James Lynden with finding a new location for a station.

While the plan stayed on the front-burner for a while, nothing cooked. Lynden noted he looked at some sites, but the village ultimately got caught up in other issues of importance and understood the cost of a new facility and property could not be burdened by their taxpayers.

Besides, almost unsurprisingly, back in 2017 there were problems with the village water system that needed plenty of attention. Obviously, six years later, the status quo remains — for both issues.

Even Westfield, Lakewood-Busti, Ellicott and Jamestown could use an upgrade with their locations. But those entities are not much different than their north-county colleagues. Budgets are tight — and without help from Albany, the costs would be almost impossible.

Just how much would a new facility cost? Look no further than what’s taking place in Batavia, a city of nearly 16,000 located in Genesee County between Buffalo and Rochester. After receiving $2.5 million in federal funding, the municipality is aiming to build a 19,000-square-foot location that will be built on city-owned property, according to the Daily News of Batavia and the Batavian.

Currently, Batavia police are working out of a facility that dates back to the mid-19th century. “The current police headquarters was constructed in 1855 as a private residence and is out of date and inefficiently suited for a modern-day police department to properly serve the community,” said Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch. “We want a new facility that people from the community feel welcomed, and provide space for more engagement with the residents we serve.”

Though a portion of the site will be paid for through the grant, there’s still another $10 million to $13 million the city will borrow to make the project happen. Those funds will be financed through a 30-year public improvement serial bond, according to city manager Rachel Tabelski.

During state Gov. Kathy Hochul’s stop this week in Buffalo to talk about some $4 billion in investments for Western New York, none of the projects were linked to law enforcement. Interestingly, however, there was more than $3.2 billion set aside for public education. Some of those costs are tied to capital projects, which are heavily funded by the state — sometimes up to 90%.

Imagine municipalities having that same leverage with capital projects. It would almost be as convenient as the current deal the New York State Police have.

New building? No problem. Albany’s picking up the tab.

Unfortunately, it will never be that easy.

John D’Agostino is the editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.