WEST POINT — Following their Thursday morning work session, council members, the mayor and government officials took time to tour the building at 206 W. 9th St. being renovated to become the city’s new police station.

“This is more space than we ever could have imagined,” Tony Bailey, West Point police chief, told the group.

The current police station, which is below city hall, is a little less than 3,000 square feet, Bailey said. The new police station will be a little more than 9,000 square feet.

The city plans to spend $250,000 to renovate the building that was previously a phone company.

“The layout of this building really fits our needs great,” Bailey said

Studs put up by Baston-Cook Construction volunteers as part of the company’s Day of Service project in May outlined the future walls that will transform the building into the police station.

It is planned to include space for animal control, probation offices, a courtroom, a room for patrol officers, conference room, offices for detectives, interrogation rooms, evidence rooms, an armory for ammunition and an office for the chief of police.

“It really flows well,” Bailey said. “We are just making a few modifications.”

Councilman Gerald Ledbetter noted: “There’s plenty of space for the first time ever.”

Bailey said the new building will help with his department’s morale as well as operations for residents by being more open and accessible.

He expected the new station to be open sometime around February or March.