RADFORD -- Some 200 yards separate the Radford Police Department's current and future buildings, but when it comes to the equipment housed inside, the two are worlds apart.

Renovations are expected to begin in March to the former Old Colony Box Factory building on Robertson Street that, when finished in spring 2011, will house the police department and the city manager's office.

The bulk of the space inside the 47,668-square-foot building will replace the aging police station, which was built in 1890 as the city's courthouse. A fire in 1950 turned the four-story building into a two-story building. A study conducted nearly 20 years ago declared the facility inadequate for the police department's needs.

Desks and file cabinets are crammed into former jail cells, there's no secure parking area and little access for people with disabilities. The paint is peeling, radiators leak and a pipe has burst.

"It's not only inadequate for the police department, it's inadequate for the community's needs," Police Chief Don Goodman said. "There are times that people have to come here, and we don't have the right facilities to serve them."

On Jan. 25, the Radford City Council awarded a $5.59 million construction bid for the new public safety building to Frith Construction Co. of Martinsville.

"It is a difficult time with budget constraints to undertake any project, but I think prices were competitive," Mayor Tom Starnes said.

Frith Construction's bid was the lowest of 15 bids for the project. The top 10 were within a few hundred thousand dollars of each other.

"That makes me think that the prices were actually what it's going to cost," Starnes said.

The nearly 40,000 square feet dedicated to the police department will have three interview rooms compared with the current station's one. One of the rooms will be separate so suspects and victims can be interviewed at the same time without seeing each other, Goodman said.

Plans also include a fireproof records room, separate general evidence and drug evidence areas requiring a hand scan for entry, a vehicle investigation bay for seized cars, a maintenance bay for police vehicles and a communication center in the building.

Currently, the communication center is housed separately in a rented building.

"I think what we're getting is something that will go on long after I'm gone, and that's really important for the community," Goodman said. "The groundwork was laid before me."

The city manager's office will occupy the remainder of the space.

"But the building is first and foremost a public safety building," said David Ridpath, acting city manager.

When the city manager's office moves in 2011, its current space in the Municipal Building on Second Avenue could become the offices of other city staff, including the commonwealth's attorney and voter registrar. Those offices are now in rented spaces scattered around the city.

In addition to city offices, the Municipal Building also houses the city's courtrooms. Because of that, moving offices would also require the approval from Radford Circuit Court Judge Joey Showalter, Ridpath said.

"If he's in agreement and those office can take our space, we'd hopefully save money on rent," Ridpath said. "And the courthouse is obviously a more convenient location for the commonwealth's attorney."

The move will also give the council a dedicated meeting room. Now, the council meets in the general district courtroom.

"We always have to work with scheduling with court," Ridpath said.

Plans are unclear for the current police station after the move, he said. "Council will probably declare it surplus and auction it or sell it."

The Old Colony Box Factory building's proximity to the Glencoe Museum, the New River and a shopping center could be a boon for west Radford, an area that has many vacant buildings and less foot traffic than the downtown area of east Radford.

"The whole area is primed to be a public campus," said museum director Ian Fortier. "With the civic and police building, the museum and open space, this area could become a hub."

Taking an empty building and putting it back into good use is an important step for the city that could help spur development in other nearby empty buildings, Starnes said.

The city purchased the former factory from the Radford University Foundation in 2008 for $500,000. It has been vacant since the Old Colony Box Co. closed in 2000 after 67 years in Radford.