Plunkett says city should look at building HQ elsewhere

In a bid to repair the moisture problem that has caused mold and mildew damage at the Peachtree City police headquarters, the City Council approved a $593,000 bid last week.

The work will include repairing the heating, ventilation and cooling system along with replacing the flooring and ceiling coverings.

There are other problems with the building, however, that won’t be covered under the repair: roof leaks and deteriorating facia on the outside of the building. It was enough to make Councilwoman Cyndi Plunkett wonder if the city should demolish the building and start over again, perhaps in a different location.

Mayor Harold Logsdon said that would be way too expensive, though he acknowledged that once the repairs begin, there could be change orders due to other problems that are found which could cause the repair costs to increase.

It could cost about $3.1 million, including land costs to build a new police headquarters, according to city staff calculations. Plunkett said it could be the city could avoid the land costs by using a parcel it already owns.

Plunkett voted against the measure to award the bid, which passed 4-1.

The flooring repair comes with a 10-year warranty that the flooring won’t blister due to water vapor seepage, said City Engineer David Borkowski.

Borkowski said the contractor won’t guarantee this will take care of the moisture problems in the building, which opened in 2001. But the city thinks this will remedy the issue, he added.

The work will be paid for with contingency funds from the 2007 and 2008 Public Improvement Program budgets, said City Manager Bernie McMullen.

Meanwhile the police department has relocated temporarily to the former Gold’s Gym location on Commerce Drive near Aberdeen Parkway just off Ga. Highway 74. The headquarters building could not be inhabited during the repair process.