- April 25, 2024
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In April, Flagler County Commissioners decided that the county would build a new Sheriff's Operations Center near the county's Government Services complex on State Road 100 in Bunnell, next to a planned new county library branch.
During a commission meeting May 4, commissioners discussed two new options.
"The Sheriff's Operations Center is one of the most public problems that our staff has faced. ... I'm just concerned time is going by, and final decisions need to be made."
— DAVID SULLIVAN, Flagler County Commission chairman
The county, County Administrator Jerry Cameron said, might be able to acquire a parcel of land near the First Baptist Church, across from the initial planned site off Commerce Boulevard, allowing the county to place the Sheriff's Office building and the library building on facing parcels, rather than together on one parcel. A deal with the church to acquire the land, Cameron said, is "about 60% probable."
That would solve a problem: Although placing both structures on one parcel would be possible, engineering staff had informed the county administration, it would limit the ability of either one to expand in the future.
"If the site across the street were to become available ... it would make a lot of sense to pick up that property and split the two," Cameron said.
Sheriff Rick Staly said during the meeting that he preferred the two buildings to be placed separately, if the parcel near the church becomes available.
"Can you do it on one property? Yes," Staly said. "But you're going leave some headaches for commissioners and sheriffs that follow you 10, 15, 20 years from now."
County Commission Chairman David Sullivan asked about another possibility: Demolishing the old Sheriff's Operations Center building on S.R. 100, which has been evacuated since June 2018 due to mold, and using the land there for the library or a new Sheriff's Operations Center.
"If we tore the old Sheriff's Operations building down, theoretically you could put a library or a new Sheriff's Operations Center there, provided you took the concrete base and everything out — and it is land we own and it does front directly onto Route 100," Sullivan said. "If we take out the cost of demolition, since that's already been approved, could you make a case for, say, putting the library there if it was cost-effective and we couldn't' get the church property?" he asked.
That would be possible, Cameron replied.
Demolition of the old Sheriff's Operations Center, Cameron said, would cost about $250,000, and buying the property near the church would likely not exceed that, "So that's pretty much a financial wash there," he said.
However, he said, the location would require environmental assessments, which could uncover problems that would delay construction.
"That would be out there and there wold be an element of uncertainty if we decided to go down that path," Cameron said. "It could work out fine, and it may be problematic."
Sullivan said he'd like the board to come to a decision soon — ideally at the board's next meeting in May.
"The Sheriff's Operations Center is one of the most public problems that our staff has faced," he said. "I'm concerned that we never seem to get to a final, final decision on a lot of this, and it's understandable. But I'm just concerned time is going by, and final decisions need to be made."
