The Aberdeen Board of Commissioners reviewed the final architectural drawing for the new Aberdeen Police Station.
The current police station was constructed in 1992 and has become overcrowded and outdated, as Aberdeen’s population has more than doubled since then. The new facility will be adjacent to the existing station and will add almost 13,000 square feet to the current 5,200 square feet station.
Keith Carlyon of ADW Architects reported the plans are finished and ready to be sent out for bids. The building is projected to cost $5.8 million, with construction slated to begin the first quarter of 2020. It is estimated that the project will take 13 months to complete with a scheduled completion date of March/April of 2021.
According to Town Manager Paul Sabiston, getting the bids in hand is the next hurdle to overcome. He added, “the volatility of the construction market can add as much as 10% to the estimated cost.”
The building is designed with expansion in mind. Its design allows for the installation of a 911 call center if the town decides to provide its own call dispatching, as opposed to depending on the county. As Sabiston pointed out, the cost of adding a call center is not in the hardware or wiring. It is the cost of hiring the seven people necessary to run it. Additional, the building is constructed to allow future expansion with the building wiring and infrastructure designed to facilitate any necessary expansion.
The town has recently adopted a 2 cent tax increase to provide funding for the building, but Sabiston has warned that an additional 1 cent increase may be necessary.
The Aberdeen Police will move operations to a rented space in town to help speed up construction and reduce costs.
The town is expecting to receive the bids by mid to late December; in the meantime, the town is undergoing an audit and taking other steps necessary to secure financing.
~Written by Local News/Government Reporter Chris Prentice.
Contact him at [email protected] or (910) 639-9303.
