The Inter-Mountain photo by Taylor McKinnie he Elkins Police Department has returned to Elkins City Hall after working out of trailers for almost two years.

ELKINS — The Elkins Police Department has returned to Elkins City Hall after working out of trailers for almost two years.

During the Elkins City Council’s June 11 meeting, Elkins City Operations Manager Michael Kesecker announced that the Elkins Police Department was once again operating out of City Hall.

“Police department, all their cabling and connections are complete for their IT,” Kesecker told the council. “Only some cosmetic items need to be completed, but they’re probably going to hold off on that until (the department has) all (their) furniture in place and have (their) offices set up the way (they) want them.”

Elkins City Hall has been closed for restoration and recovery work since Aug. 31, 2024, after a sewage overflow incident flooded the building’s basement and first floor, including the Elkins City Police Department. In March, Kesecker told The Inter-Mountain that the City had hopes to reoccupy the building in July with City Hall fully reopened by Aug. 31.

Since September 2024, the department was working out of one 12-by-64 trailer and two 10-by-44 trailers behind City Hall. The trailers were rented through Triumph Modular in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

Kesecker stated that Triumph Modular would be coming to Elkins on Tuesday to prepare the three trailers to be removed. He added, however, that the Elkins Municipal Court will continue to operate in a trailer behind City Hall for now.

Elkins Police Chief Travis Bennett, during his report to the council, said he was happy the department was back in City Hall. He said the process of moving completely out of the trailers took two days and was “actually pretty seamless.” Bennett stated that most of the furniture they ordered for their space was on site and the last few items should be delivered within the next week.

“The guys just really jumped in. Got stuff moved over,” Bennett said. “Got furniture put together. They’ve done a little bit of everything that’s not police work. Getting all that stuff done.”

Bennett joked that, with having much more space now, he loses his coffee four or five times a day wandering around the office.

Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco asked Bennett if the public still needed to call 911 or dispatch to get in contact with the Elkins Police Department for non-emergency and after-hours calls, to which Bennett said yes. Kesecker added that, while the police are operating out of City Hall again, the building is not open to public yet as it is still a construction site.