WINONA, Minn. – The clock is ticking on the joint city-county police building adjacent to the Courthouse. The county owns the facility, which is called the Law Enforcement Center, and the lease that accepts the city police department as a tenant expires in 2024. City Manager Steve Sarvi said the building is both cramped and outdated — and the county already is exploring a relocation of some sheriff function elsewhere. A lot else is in flux, Sarvi said. For example, the county jail in the building has been condemned by the state Corrections Department, and the County Board is under pressure to decide whether to build a new jail or perhaps remodel. Another factor, Savi said, is the Central Fire Station at 451 East Third Street, whose inadequacies have gone unaddressed for years for budget reasons. A possibility, said Sarvi, is a combined city police and fire station. Worth considering, Sarvi said, is a combined city police and fire building.
