Chelsea Police Chief Ed Toth was smiling most of Thursday morning at the corner of South Main and East Summit streets, where about 60 people were on hand for the groundbreaking of the new 6,600-square-foot Chelsea Police station and new City Council chambers.

The new police station is planned for three city lots at the corner of South Main Street and East Summit, a few blocks from the current police headquarters and next to the Chelsea State Bank building.

“This is as close to a ground breaking as it gets,” said Chelsea City Manager John Hanifan. Immediately following the ceremony, the construction fence was expected to be erected and earth moving was slated to begin.

The one-story building will have a finished lower level, with the entrance off the current parking lot, while the driveway will remain in its existing location.

“It’s an exciting day,” Hanifan said. “We’re proud of how the police department has conducted business in very difficult conditions.”

The project is expected to cost $2 million to $2.5 million, but will not be funded by a millage, Hanifan said. It’s expected to take about a year to complete.

The city made the station about 20 percent smaller than called for in the original design following several community forums about the project.

“I think all the community input has helped with the design and they will appreciate it more,” said Robert Overhiser, the architect for the project. Phoenix Construction of Ypsilanti is the contractor.

The city’s Downtown Development Authority contributed $1 million for site work to ensure the police station continued to be downtown.

The Police Department has been housed in a small storefront at 104 East Middle St. “This has been the No. 1 thing on my list to get accomplished,” said Toth who became chief in Chelsea four and a half years ago,

The new station will accommodate the department's eight full-time officers, including the chief and a canine officer, as well as seven part-time officers, three full-time dispatchers, a records clerk, two parking officers, three crossing guards and three reserve officers.

“When you look at being competitive in hiring new officers, with all things being equal, having a new police station will help in recruitment,” Toth said.

“This is something that’s been needed for well over 25 years or more,” Toth said. “This is a great day for the community and for the department."

Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter with AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Chelsea stories, visit our Chelsea page.