Council clears way to demolish former sheriff’s substation for splash pad; approves temporary community policing location

The council approved removing the former sheriff's substation from the historic-preservation demolition-delay list to permit demolition needed for a planned splash pad project.

Community Development staff explained the demolition-delay code: when a property is on the list a demolition permit may be delayed for up to 90 days to allow alternatives to demolition to be explored. Mike Feagon said the current request asked the council to approve option 1 (removal from the list) for the old substation because the building is slated to be demolished as part of the splash-pad construction; the demolition permit had been submitted by the city's contractor. Feagon described the delay's purpose and the off-ramps available to property owners.

After approving demolition, council and staff addressed where to place community-policing operations while the new building is constructed. Staff suggested using the old library as a temporary location; Commander Mark Benora of the Lee County Sheriff's Office attended and said the county command center "is a great asset" but "doesn't have the space that we need." Staff noted temporary utilities and approximately three years of rental would be included in the plan. Council authorized the temporary solution and the motion passed on roll call.

Next steps include coordination of utility connections for the temporary facility and continued planning for the permanent community-policing location adjacent to the splash-pad project.