Although Tyrone will still have to return more than $60,000 in development fees to developers, the Town Council agreed Thursday night to conduct a feasibility study on building a new police station and town hall at their current sites.

By moving forward with the study, the town will start using the impact fees earmarked for a new building and “stop the bleeding,” said Town Manager Barry Amos.

The town started collecting fees in 1999 and will have to refund two years’ worth of funds, because no work was done on building a new town center.
In the Capital Improvement Element, the town pledged to build a 12,000 sq. ft. building that would house the new police station and town hall.

While the city’s leaders agreed on moving forward with a study not to exceed $10,000, not all members were convinced that just one building should be built.

“I just don’t think it functions well to have both in the same building,” said Councilwoman Grace Caldwell.

Instead, Caldwell favors building two new buildings on the existing sites of the current facilities.

But Councilman Paul Letourneau said it would be waste of money to have a public meeting room at the police station for court and another meeting room at town hall for the Town Council’s meetings.

“I just can’t justify that,” he said.

If the town only builds a police station or a town hall, it could lose up to $130,000 that have been collected so far towards the project, since the capital improvement element said it would be a joint facility.

But if the town starts on both building, no impact fees from the developers would have to be refunded. Impact fees will only pay for 25 percent of the new structures, so the town would have to pay for the other 75 percent.

Caldwell favors a bond and having all the expenses spelled out for all the residents.

“I don’t want to see any hidden expenses occurring,” she said.

Tyrone has usually funded items using cash on hand, but Caldwell sees a problem with that type of funding.

“The people who move to town aren’t helping to pay for it,” she said.

The town hopes to have the results of the feasibility study done early next year that will outline what the city can build on existing property it owns.

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