FERRIDAY — Ferriday Police Department employees hope to be settling into a new home next week at the Ferriday Shopping Center.

On Thursday, Ferriday police dispatchers had already moved to the new location, which is the largest space available in the shopping center, Mayor Sherrie Jacobs said. The shopping center is across E.E. Wallace Boulevard from Herring Gas and is next door to Riverland Medical Center.

“It really looks nice,” Jacobs said. “I’ll be glad when they are out of the old building. It just smells terrible.”

Jacobs said the town was coordinating moving the desks and files for officers. Jacobs said she hoped the whole department would be in the new building during the first part of this upcoming week.

A move that was originally announced in October, Jacobs said the delay was caused over scheduling conflicts and trying to set up the communications, IT and electrical upgrades needed to support the police department.

Jacobs said moving the police department is also good for the town-owned shopping center.

“There has been lots of interest in leasing other buildings,” Jacobs said. “It comes with built-in security.”

The old police department building has outlived its usefulness, Jacobs said. Rooms in the old building had to be closed off due to mildew and mold, which also caused health concerns for employees.

Jacobs said the town has no plans for the old facility at this time.

Jacobs did not have cost figures, but said most of the renovations were funded through grants obtained by the town’s grants clerk.