Sharon McBrayer
The News Herald, Morganton, N.C.
(TNS)
After debating options for more than seven years, a feasibility study is expected to let Valdese officials know the best options for new fire and police stations.
The Valdese Town Council approved a $38,000 contract with D.R. Reynolds for a feasibility study that will look at four options for fire and police stations. The price tag also includes some architectural and structural engineering work, Town Manager Todd Herms said.
The town has been working to find a new home for the fire and police stations since structural damage was found on the public safety building.
D.R. Reynolds, which is based in Star, N.C., will study three properties as potential locations for the buildings: 215 E. Main St., 121 Faet St., SW, and 200 Massel Ave., SW. The study will consider whether the locations are suitable for renovation, expansion or developing a new facility.
The council bought 215 E. Main St., a former office building, last year to renovate for a police station. The study will consider whether it is possible to renovate the building for the police station.
Valdese Town Hall is currently housing the police department.
The study will also address whether to renovate the 121 Faet St. property.
Herms said representatives of D.R. Reynolds said the town may be able to use some of the existing structure, with renovations, but structural engineers will be needed to determine that.
The property at 200 Massel Ave. is a former parking lot for Alba-Waldensian mills. The study will look at whether a fire station should be built on the property or a combination fire and police station should be built at the location.
Cracks in the building that housed the fire and police departments in Valdese became worse after a period of extreme cold in January 2018.
The board voted unanimously to approve the contract with D.R. Reynolds for the four options.
Herms said the study would start immediately. The study is expected to be done by Nov. 1, according to information from the town.
Once a decision is made on which route to take, D.R. Reynolds will also handle the design phase of the project, according to information from the town.
Extreme cold weather in January 2018 caused the walls of the fire and police building on Faet Street to crack and existing cracks got bigger. The cracks caused concerns about the structural integrity of the building.
Since then, the fire department has moved operations into the old town hall and the police department is being temporarily housed in the current town hall.
As part of its debate on what to do, the council has bought property on Pineburr Avenue, Main Street and Massel Avenue. It is currently in the process of selling the Pineburr Avenue property. The council had previously accepted a $7.2 million 30-year loan from the United States Department of Agriculture but the new iteration of the council withdrew from the loan and decided to put the property up for sale.
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