PORT MARIA, St Mary — “I’m not going to hold my breath as I might choke,” was the tongue-in-cheek comment from Superintendent Bobbette Morgan-Simpson about the timeline for a new olice station in Port Maria.

She was launching yet another appeal on Thursday during the monthly meeting of the St Mary Municipal Corporation. As she has done at previous meetings, she pleaded for better working conditions for the men and women whom she leads.

“Imagine being in a jammed space with poor ventilation and to work in such an environment and keep a smile on,” Morgan asked of the locally elected officials.

Police officers are uncomfortable and their morale is waning, she warned.

In responding to her plight, Mayor Richard Creary assured her that while funding was not an issue, the challenge has been in obtaining suitable land.

“We want the police to have a final resting place [sic], just as how the firefighters were all over the place until they have a new home,” Creary said.

He explained that the site previously earmarked for the police post was later deemed unsuitable for construction purposes. That was a 30-acre property owned by the Commissioner of Lands. The new police station was to be a two-storey building with living quarters for police officers and a holding cell block. The project was scheduled to be completed this year.