Discussions about buying a building downtown for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office got heated during committee meetings of the county Quorum Court Tuesday night, with Sheriff Gerald Robinson and others pushing an original request for a new structure to be built adjacent to the adult detention center.
“When we first started putting our initial plan together, that is, building next to the jail, that would meet out operational needs, and would put us in the immediate vicinity (of the courthouse), one block away verses 11 blocks away,” Robinson said. “Space wise, (the proposed building downtown) would fit, but operational wise, it would not fit.”
Meeting in November, the county’s legislative body asked County Judge Mike Holcomb to explore options that would allow the sheriff’s department’s Criminal Investigation Division and Patrol Division to move from their current location in the 100 block of Main Street, because the buildings they are currently using have leaking roofs and other failings.
After hearing a proposal to build a new building from Architect Richard Taylor of the A.W. Nelson Group in November, Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee Chairman Dr. Herman Ginger said the committee and the court had to be good stewards of the county’s funds and asked Holcomb to see what else was available.
“We’re not going to make any decisions tonight,” Ginger said Tuesday. “This is part of an on-going search and we’re going to look at option after option. Let’s face it, the economy is not in the greatest shape and we have to look at options.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The initial cost of that new building would be $1.7 million, which would allow only the CID offices to move in initially, with other divisions waiting until additional funds were available to complete the two story structure.
On Tuesday, Nelson attended the meting, saying he was “uncomfortable presenting this because I own the building,” at 100 E. 11th Ave., that was also being considered for a new sheriff’s building.
“We’re here as architects, not the owner of the building,” Nelson said.
That building was designed and built in 1986 for Central Moloney, who occupied it for several years before moving out. Currently, the Nelson Architectural Group, attorneys, and other businesses such as the Area Agency on Aging lease space in the facility that’s more than 22,000 square feet.
Justice of the Peace Mandy Alford questioned Nelson about the tenants currently in the building, specifically the Area Agency who last month located their home health care facility there.
“That’s one of my concerns,” Nelson said. “Those people are good, loyal tenants who lease space but there is an escape clause for both sides, and a 90-day notification on every lease.”
In a letter to Ginger, Holcomb said the Nelson building could be purchased for “about the same price as the first phase of the new building,” (about $1.7 million) but on Tuesday, both Holcomb and Nelson said a sale price had not been determined because the building had not been appraised since 2004. The sale price would not include necessary renovations, which Nelson said could run from $100,000 to $600,000.
Citing the fire that destroyed the county courthouse in 1975, former county judge Jack Jones said there was a lot of talk about moving county government to another location and in the end, a vote was taken that resulted in the courthouse being rebuilt in its current location, and said the sheriff’s office should be in the same area as other county offices.
Former Pine Bluff alderman Jack Foster also expressed concerns, saying that the market value of the building in 2011 was $1.2 million, and that tenants currently generate about $14,000 in taxes, $10,000 of that to the Pine Bluff School District. If the building were bought by the county, it would come off the tax rolls.
Noting that the new district court building was “built from scratch to accommodate the judges,” Foster said “Give the sheriff the same consideration as the judges.”
Justice of the Peace Ted Harden said he had not “closed the door on either issue.”
“We’re looking at $3.3 million for a new building verses $2.2 million for an existing building,” Harden said. “We’re looking at a 25-year-old building verses a brand new building. We’ve got to decide what’s good for Jefferson County.”
In response to a question from Justice of the Peace Conley Byrd about possible plans to move both the CID and Patrol Divisions to a temporary location and “get them out of that building,” Ginger said that other options are being considered.
In closing remarks, Robinson was critical of Ginger.
“We’ve talked about doing something for a long time and my concern is that you and I have never met to talk about it,” Robinson said.
“I wondered why you never called me,” Ginger replied.
Robinson also complained that he had received no information about the proposed building downtown until he heard about it from another employee.
“Not one time did the judge come to me about this,” Robinson said. ‘“If we’re all in this together, we need to work together and I will be happy to meet with you and talk about anything about the sheriff’s office. I promise you I won’t hide anything.”
Questioned by Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll about when the matter will be discussed again, Ginger said “we will be talking about this again next month.”