We hope our readers never have to journey to Pelham Police Department’s new facilities.

However, if a trip to the station is in your stars, count the lucky ones you won’t have to sit or even stand in a crowded, dingy, five-by-seven foot room.

Pelham’s new police department facilities are not too warm and comfortable (it is a police station after all) but they are open and well lighted, a welcome change from the old facilities.

We know that sometimes, it is easy to look at a six million dollar plus city project and wonder, &8220;Is this really worth our taxes?&8221;

In Pelham&8217;s case, the answer is a resounding yes.

In a rapidly growing city such as Pelham, it is important to have sturdy facilities capable of handing the proportional increases in human traffic.

That&8217;s why the Shelby County Sheriff’s office has almost an entire empty room ready to be filled with cubicles when more deputies and office workers must be hired to accommodate for the county’s expanding population.

If you have never been to the old Pelham Police Department, it may be hard to appreciate the vaulted ceiling, lines of benches and apparently too much vacant space.

Before entertaining a complaint however, imagine all the people there in one tiny room with four chairs.

Add a person or two each year to account for the city’s growth, and the spacious room may not feel so empty anymore.