BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Black Mountain officials are weighing the future of the town’s public safety facility as concerns about the condition of the existing building collide with a potential replacement that could cost about $20 million.

The discussion came during a special Black Mountain Town Council meeting Aug. 6, where officials reviewed the condition of the existing police and fire facility and a preliminary concept for a new public safety building.

The town has not made a final decision to build the proposed facility.

Officials first discussed a condition assessment of the existing building, including additional testing that found water beneath the structure. Engineers told the council the water level was about 1½ feet below the floor slab when testing was conducted in May and said seasonal changes could cause that level to fluctuate.

The building also has signs of settlement and cracking, with officials discussing concerns about the foundation, floors and walls.

The fire chief told the council the situation has worsened since an earlier assessment. He said the building’s roof collapsed in April after the structure pulled away from a wall and that two walls in the police department are now pulling apart. He also said portions of an interior ceiling have begun to collapse and lights have fallen.

Council members said they want a more detailed structural engineering assessment before deciding whether the building can be repaired or whether the town should pursue a replacement.

Officials said a previous assessment put the value at about $1.3 million and estimated repairs at between $2.4 million and $2.6 million, according to the discussion. Officials noted that estimate was made before additional testing revealed more about the water beneath the building and should not be considered a final repair cost.

Engineers said potential repairs could involve relocating a stormwater pipe, addressing the stream and soils beneath the building and pumping out water while providing appropriate support to prevent further settlement. They cautioned that more detailed engineering and design work would be needed to produce a reliable repair estimate.

Council members agreed the town manager should work with the engineering team to determine what additional work is needed to establish whether the building can be made structurally sound and what that work would cost.

A potential new facility

The council also reviewed a preliminary concept for a new public safety facility on Northport Road.

The proposed facility would be built on just under 5 acres and would house the police and fire departments. The preliminary design is about 23,000 square feet, with the fire department on a lower level and the police department on an upper level.

The design includes fire apparatus bays, living quarters, offices, gear and storage areas, a day room and other fire operations space. The police department would have public reception and conference areas, secure parking, a sally port, interview rooms, evidence storage, an armory, training space, locker rooms and a secured area for detectives.

Architects said the design has been reduced from earlier concepts to focus on what they described as the departments’ base needs while allowing for expansion.

The project has been targeted at about $20 million or less.

Potential funding sources discussed include a BRIC grant application, a special legislative appropriation, a CDBG application and other state funding. The town also has received a $1 million grant specifically for the proposed new facility.

But some council members questioned whether the proposed facility has been sufficiently discussed with residents and whether every component of the concept should be considered a necessity.

One council member said the town needs to provide for the police and fire departments’ needs but noted that determining how much residents are willing to spend beyond those needs is a separate question.

The council member also said there has not been much public discussion about the proposal and said the location of a new facility in relation to downtown and the rest of the town should be seriously considered.

The architectural team told the council it had completed the work it was contracted to perform by providing a sketch plan and suggested building size. The discussion did not represent a final decision to move forward with construction.

Police department makes case for replacement

In a Facebook post following the meeting, the Black Mountain Police Department argued that the debate should not simply be about how long the existing building can continue to be repaired.

The department said the town instead needs to consider whether continued investment in the facility can provide the “safety, security, resiliency, technology, contamination control, accessibility, and operational capacity” police and fire departments will need over the next 30 to 50 years.

The department said the existing facility was designed for a different era and pointed to changes in public safety operations, technology and equipment since the building was constructed and later adapted.

Among the needs cited by the department were space for modern fire apparatus, firefighter cancer and contamination prevention, secure evidence and property storage, body cameras and digital evidence, modern communications and computer networks, backup power, emergency resiliency, secure prisoner processing, controlled public and employee access, modern employee facilities, training and emergency command space, ADA accessibility, modern HVAC and vehicle-exhaust systems and additional storage.

The department said the issue is not about wanting a new or “shiny” building, but about determining what police, firefighters, employees and residents will need for the next several decades.

“The building didn’t fail us. The world around it changed,” the department said in the post.

The department also emphasized that previous generations of public safety officials made decisions based on the equipment, technology, staffing and resources available at the time.

“Now it’s our turn,” the department said.

For now, officials say they need more information about the existing building before deciding whether to repair it or pursue a new facility. That decision will also involve the cost of repairs, the cost and scope of a new building, potential funding sources, the location of a new facility and what police and fire departments need now and in the future.