Mount Airy council hears full police station concept as cost estimates climb above earlier figures

Designers from Mosley presented a base design and phased plan for a new Mount Airy Police Department station and told the town council the base construction estimate for the building and site was "a little under $6 million." Town staff, however, said total project costs could rise to $7.6 million to $7.8 million in 2026 dollars after land acquisition, design, escalation and contingencies are included.

The council heard a 45-minute presentation from Mosley and a detailed account of operational needs from Chief Janever, who described the current leased station as space-constrained with inadequate prisoner processing, limited training facilities and insufficient evidence storage. Mosley’s project designer Danielle Anderson said the firm’s base program would deliver about 6,600 gross square feet now, with planned future expansion toward 8,600 and a 20-year requirement estimated at about 10,200 gross square feet.

Why it matters: Council members stressed this is a high-priority public-safety need but are sharply divided over how much the town should spend now. Several councilors pointed to a prior commitment communicated to residents and the DHCD loan and said they would not support a sudden increase in taxpayer obligations without seeing a lower-cost alternative or clear additional funding sources.

Council reaction and the crux of the debate

Several council members urged the design team and staff to return with a smaller, lower-cost alternative that had previously been prepared. Council member Demoter said he could not support the current design “at this cost” because the town had told residents the project would be about $6 million; he asked for the reduced plan that Mosley had prepared in January. Council discussion focused on three linked concerns: the program (how much space and which functions are required now), escalation (annual construction cost inflation), and funding (existing $4.5 million DHCD loan, roughly $1.5 million in reserves and a $100,000 grant).

Designer Danielle Anderson and Mosley staff said the team had produced multiple iterations, trimmed program elements and reduced square footage where possible, and that some future elements (canopy, community room, sallyport) could be phased.

Quotes that capture the meeting

"Base construction for the site and the building is going to be a little under $6 million," said Danielle Anderson, the Mosley project designer (presentation of schematic costs).

Council member Demoter told colleagues: "I cannot support this design at this cost because we told the community $6 million," and pushed for presentation of the smaller option the architects had prepared in January.

What the council decided and next steps

No final construction or appropriation vote was taken at the June 1 meeting. Council members asked the design team to return with at least one lower-cost option and for staff to continue pursuing grants and funding alternatives. Several members also asked for clearer, updated cost estimates tied to a specific construction year if the council chooses to move forward.

The council did approve a separate procurement: a Bobcat MT120 mini track loader for public works (purchase packet listed $36,867.72) using reallocated streets-and-roads funds. The council also approved an emergency budget amendment to allocate an additional $36,000 to water and sewer operations to cover recent main-break repairs.

What remains uncertain

Council members differed on how aggressively to pursue design and permitting now versus pausing to reassess finances. The design team said permitting and getting drawings ready would make the town more competitive later and avoid re-design costs, but some council members said they would not bind taxpayers to a higher total without a credible plan to pay for it. Mosley and staff expect to return with revised options and clarified funding scenarios in a subsequent meeting.