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Jupiter council OKs option to buy building for code services and training; appraisals average $10.66M
Summary
The council authorized an option to purchase 3126 Jupiter Park Drive for $10,660,000 (averaged from two appraisals) to centralize building services and host police training; the purchase uses building-fund reserves and up to 15% general-fund participation and passed unanimously.
The Town of Jupiter authorized staff to proceed with an option to purchase the property at 3126 Jupiter Park Drive with an offered price of $10,660,000, the average of two independent appraisals ($10,800,000 and $10,520,000), Scott Reynolds told the council.
Reynolds said the building can consolidate building-permit staff, plans examiners, fire inspectors and code enforcement, and also offers space that could be configured for police training. He described that the town had been reserving building-fund dollars for a facility and that the proposed funding split reflected estimated occupancy: most of the building fund would be used for ongoing operations while an estimated 15% of cost would be funded from the general fund to account for police training uses.
The purchase includes a statutory 30-day public-notice and inspection period, together with a due-diligence checklist (Phase I environmental, property survey and facility inspection) and a closing target on or before June 30. Reynolds said building-fund reserves and general-fund reserves are sufficient for the transaction and that staff will return with discoveries from due diligence.
Jupiter Police Chief Don Hennessy described training benefits: the facility would give the department a dedicated space for its roughly 20 block-weeks of training per year and reduce reliance on summer-only or ad hoc venues. Councilors who toured the property described recent interior renovations and estimated that equivalent new construction would cost substantially more.
Council approved the resolution authorizing the option and related agreements; staff will complete due diligence during the statutory notice period.
