MARYSVILLE – The Marysville waterfront just got a little bit bigger for the city.

The city recently purchased the 4.9-acre Welco property just east of Interstate 5 and west of the current waterfront park.

Gloria Hirashima, the city’s chief administrative officer, said Wednesday that the city has been interested in that property for years, but the price was too high. Welco recently agreed to the purchase price of $880,000. Welco had used the site for years for a lumber mill, but it has been dormant for about a decade.

Hirashima said an office building on the site of about 1800 square feet will be used as a south annex for police.

“We’re busting at the seams in public safety,” she said, adding it will be a benefit to the city to have a police presence in a part of the city where reducing crime has been an emphasis.

The city used savings to pay for the site. However, it could cost the city up to $2 million to clean up the site. Long used for industry, Hirashima said contaminated soils need to be removed or contained. The city will apply for grants to help pay for the cleanup, she added.