Options weighed for new sheriff’s building

by Larry Chowning –

Deciding which way to go with a new Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office building has hit yet another road block.

Bay Design Engineer Ben Burton and new County Engineer Charlie Beam were instructed in August by Middlesex County Board of Supervisors (MCBS) to study advantages of building a new building for the sheriff, versus refurbishing the former Lewis B. Puller Vocational Center building at Cooks Corner.

At the Sept. 13 MCBS meeting, they recommended that the county build a new building at an estimated cost of $4.52 million versus refurbishing the old Puller building at $3.75 million.

“We have determined that it would be better to build a new one (sheriff’s office building) that will last 50 to 60 years and that either one will take two years to complete no matter what,” said Burton.

Jamaica District Supervisor Wayne Jessie questioned the engineers’ opinions. “They built buildings 40 years ago stronger than what we build them today,” he said. “I don’t believe that those walls on the Puller building are only going to last us 17 more years.”

Burton said that water damage can be seen inside of the building and that all the earth around the building must be removed and work will have to be done from the outside of the building in. “I do not like the building (Puller building), but it will accommodate the space needed by the sheriff,” he said.

Cost estimate

Supervisors also questioned the $4.52 million cost for a new building and asked how the amount had been determined. At the August MCBS meeting, Chairman Lud Kimbrough had asked architect Jim Snowa of Deltaville to provide a cost comparison.

Snowa derived that a 10,000-square foot, 80- by 125-foot metal building would have an estimated cost of $275 per square foot and might cost as much as a half million dollars less than fixing the Puller building.

Assistant County Administrator Ann Marie Ricardi said at the September meeting she had researched square footage costs on the Internet for new sheriff’s office buildings and she came up with a range from $415 to $580 per square foot, which could double the cost for a new sheriff’s office building.

Burton indicated they had used the $275 per square foot figures that came from Snowa. Supervisors asked where Snowa got his figures and the two engineers said they were not sure where the figures had come from and Snowa was not at the meeting.

Burton also informed the board that “right now” during these inflationary times it is hard to know the cost of anything. “All we can do is estimate the cost,” he said.

No action was taken on the matter.