The Gaylord City Council has passed a motion to explore the possibility of allowing the Michigan State Police to build a new headquarters on 18-acres of vacant land off I-75.
The seventh district of the State Police serves 19 counties in northern Michigan. Its current Gaylord building was constructed in 1937.
Gaylord residents who are opposed to the new headquarters argue the city needs more affordable housing and that Habitat for Humanity should re-locate to the property.
Gaylord city manager Kim Awrey said affordable housing is a major issue in Gaylord, but the city doesn’t have the funds.
"The infrastructure is so expensive that without having the ability to pay for that you can't put the houses there," said Awrey. "And it's not something that the City of Gaylord has in their budget to be able to extend the roadways and the utilities at this point in time either."
In an interview with WCMU, Lieutenant Derrick Carroll, a public information officer with the Michigan State Police, said the plan is in its infancy and that no funds have been appropriated. But the State Police are considering a consolidation of resources.
"We were looking at maybe doing what they did in the sixth district, which is consulting the crime lab, the post and the district headquarters," said Lt. Carroll.
