By the end of the week, Marion police will begin moving into a spacious two-story new station officials hope will meet the demands of a fast-growing town.

The new station at the eastern edge of town is about six times larger than the old station, which was quickly outgrown after opening in 1983. Since then, Marion's population has jumped from about 20,000 people to about 36,000, and from space to function, the old station fell short.

"The old station really was not right when they started," said John Vernon, an 84-year-old life long Marion resident. "You just have to have adequate facilities for what you are doing."

Vernon was among about 150 people who came to tour the new digs on Wednesday morning at 6315 Highway 151.

The department, which has 41 sworn officers and nine civilian staff, will begin moving in on Friday and the process will take about a week, said Police Chief Harry Daugherty, who along with Capt. Doug Slagle, guided the project.

The still-empty building features a weight room, kitchenette, numerous interview rooms and space for a not-yet-built shooting range. One of the more enticing attributes for officers is four holding cells, which the old station did not have.

Officer Jason Schamberger said officers could get called in from the field for several hours to "babysit" a suspect being held at the old station. The new holding cells are a welcome addition for officers, he said.

"It's a giant waste of time," Schamberger said.

Suspects held overnight will continue to go to Linn County Jail.

The new station cost $10.4 million, and with other costs such as moving and equipment, the project will come in around $12 million, which is still less than the original winning bid of $13.8 million, city officials said.

The city acquired five acres of land for the station in a swap with Wayne Engle, City Manager Lon Pluckhahn said. He said the city swapped two acres near the old station, and $200,000 to make up the value difference. The five acres the city acquired is valued at $322,800, while the two acres that went to Engle is valued at $177,000, according to the Linn County Assessors.

Daugherty and Pluckhahn said the location of the station on the outskirts of town will not affect the responsiveness of officers who spend most of their day in the field. Pluckhahn said the building will also serve as an attractive marker at a gateway to Marion.

The old station will be demolished next year, and over the next several years will be converted into training facilities for the fire department, which is adjacent to the old police facility, Pluckhahn said.

Mayor Allen "Snooks" Bouska touts the new station as a symbol of a safe community."It's big and it reinforces this is the safest city," Bouska said. "People are going to see this and turn around and go the other way."