Department to relocate temporarily while repairs are conducted

Peachtree City officials have doubled the estimated cost for fixing moisture problems at the police department’s headquarters to $600,000.

Plus, while the work is ongoing the department will have to relocate to temporary quarters elsewhere for at least four months, officials have estimated. Negotiations are underway to lease a building that will be convenient for public access, said Police Chief James Murray.

Convenient access is important because some 500-600 people visit the department each week to file reports, be interviewed, apply for an alcohol serving permit, and other reasons, Murray noted.

It will take an extended length of time to move the department as roughly 10,000 pieces of evidence have to be accounted for, Murray said.

The hope is for work to begin in October or November, but the project has not gone out for bid yet, Murray said.

The moisture has caused multiple problems with the building, including the bubbling of carpet adhesive, damp drywall and warped wood fixtures. In one room, a number of law books had to be thrown out because they were so overcome by mold, and others had to be meticulously cleaned.

Eagle Indoor Air, which conducted an air quality study of the building, noted that humidity results were high, topping out at 80 percent in one room where it should be between 35 and 50 percent ideally. The report surmised that groundwater was seeping into the building somehow.

The report also indicated that the amount of fungal particulate found in the air was similar to levels found in outdoor air.

The $1.8 million station opened in 2001 on a tract of land formerly used as a dump adjacent to the city’s original wastewater treatment plant off Ga. Highway 74 south of Kelly Drive. Former and current city officials have said the building was not constructed on top of a dump area.

The contractor on the project was Leslie Contracting of Fayetteville and the engineering firm responsible for design was Don Cobb and Associates. Leslie Contracting reimbursed the city for related problems including soil samples, waterproofing and the purchase of two dehumidifiers, according to a Sept. 2004 letter provided by the city.

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