Council members see progress of Latrobe municipal building renovation

The Latrobe municipal building along Jefferson Street is being renovated to make operations more efficient for staff, officials said.

Talk of a renovation has circulated through council chambers more than once, but the work was ultimately prompted by aging computer equipment and the need for space. After Mutual Aid Ambulance Service ended its lease in the building this year, the extra space has given officials more room to spread out.

“There’s been a lot of work done around the building, a lot of it thanks to grants, (American Rescue Plan Act) funding and a lot of donations,” he said. “The work should be done within a month or two if all goes well.”

The upgrades have been financially supported by a combination of funds including several donations made by various foundations, businesses and individuals, Yuhaniak said. He added that Sharky’s Cafe donated some furniture that will be used throughout the building.

“The garage where Mutual Aid used to be, the old room where the exercise equipment was, is going to be used for files and storage,” said councilman William Yuhaniak, a member of council’s renovation committee. “The lounge that was used by Mutual Aid will now be a break room for the police and the administration for the building.”

Another section of the area formerly used by Mutual Aid will house computer servers and IT equipment. Yuhaniak said that wires will be run through the city manager’s office and police department.

Upgrades are also being made to spaces for sergeants, detectives, interrogation and community services inside the police department. The police squad room is now equipped with several new office chairs that are wide enough to allow officers to wear their equipped duty belts while seated. Other upgrades include tactical first-aid kits, work stations, desks and cubicles.

“There are also three large video screens that they will be able to use to monitor all the cameras that are set up throughout the city,” Yuhaniak said.

Latrobe police Chief Richard Bosco said Scott Wajdic, director of public works, and his crew have been instrumental in assisting the police department, Bosco said.

“With the help of these guys we’ve been making some really big changes for the overall operation of modernizing and cleaning up the department as a whole,” Bosco said.