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Highlands Today

County Considering Downtown Site For Sheriff's Building

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By JIM KONKOLY

Highlands Today

Published: February 8, 2009

SEBRING - Highlands County Commissioners have spent $873,000 for architectural plans to build a new administration building for the sheriff's office on George Boulevard, just north of U.S. 27 and State Road 66.

Design of the $11 million building is complete and the county can go out for bids at any time, said Highlands County Engineer Ramon Gavarrete.

On Friday morning, though, county Administrator Mike Wright said he and Gavarrete will look at two sites in downtown Sebring as possible locations for the sheriff's building.

"We're going to take a preliminary look, just to see what we're dealing with," he said.

Wright's decision to look at the sites - Sebring City Hall on South Commerce Avenue and the Sun Trust building on West Center Avenue - followed Thursday evening's workshop meeting between Sebring City Council and the county commissioners.

Council members delivered two messages to the county commissioners: Future expansion of the county jail should stay out of the downtown, and they would like to see the new sheriff's administration building stay downtown.

"We want to have that facility in downtown Sebring," Councilman John Griffin said about the new sheriff's building.

Barbara Stewart, chairman of the county commissioners, said she will ask for a vote within two to three weeks on whether the county will seriously consider the downtown locations.

Stewart gave no commitment, but said she wouldn't automatically rule out the downtown sites because of the nearly $900,000 spent for architectural plans for the county-owned George Avenue site.

"If there is a possibility of savings by going an alternative route, those savings may compensate for what we've already spent," she said.

Commissioner Jeff Carlson, who was a Sebring councilman before being elected to the county commission in November, said he definitely wants the county to consider downtown locations for the new sheriff's building.

"If there is a way to look at it and find a good solution to continue to have the (sheriff's) administration facilities in downtown Sebring, it's a good economic engine that can help the work that the Community Redevelopment Agency has been doing," he said.

Pete Pollard, executive director of the Sebring CRA, said the three-story Sun Trust building has 27,000 square feet. Mayor George Hensley said the site has adequate room to add onto to the sides or rear of the building.

Pending plans for the sheriff's building call for a 48,000-square-foot building on the county-owned, 9-acre site on George Boulevard.

Sebring City Hall, one block away from the county jail and the county government center, has about two acres, Pollard said. The site could be expanded by closing Orange Street, he said.

City Hall has 9,500 square feet and was built so a second story could be added, Pollard said. If the county can't use the property for a sheriff's building, he said, it should be considered for expansion of county government offices.

"We don't know whether these options are financially feasible or not for the county, because they have not been explored," Pollard said.

Griffin suggested the county consider building a 4-story sheriff's administration building downtown, with parking in a garage on the bottom or top floor. He also said county officials could consider a smaller central sheriff's office downtown and building "sub stations" throughout the county.

"It would be great to have stations all over," Sheriff Susan Benton said. But, she said, that type of plan would cost at least double, due to the security requirements for law enforcement facilities.

Commissioner Guy Maxcy said he doesn't oppose looking at the downtown Sebring sites, but he would need some rough cost estimates.

"We need to get the best guess we can on what the other options maybe will cost," he said. "The only way to do that is by a quick study, a 'best-guess' study, done by our (consulting) firm."

Stewart and Carlson opposed that idea.

"We need to find out if our commission is interested in looking at the other options before we spend any money," Carlson said.

Stewart said she will call for that question to be settled soon.

"We need to decide as soon as we can, perhaps in two weeks, if indeed we want to halt and look at other options," she said. "I think it's only fair to give our staff direction on this and not have this sit in limbo."

While construction of the sheriff's administration is the immediate concern, Sebring council members were adamant in calling for long-term expansion of the county jail to go outside the downtown area.

Councilwoman Margie Rhoades said expanding the jail downtown "would be a coffin" to revitalizing the downtown area.

"I think everybody here tonight agrees that the residents of the city of Sebring . . . do not want a major jail complex in downtown Sebring," Griffin said.

Highlands Today reporter Jim Konkoly can be reached at 863-386-5855 or e-mail jkonkoly@highlandstoday.com

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