In the wake of an unsuccessful attempt to approve funding for a $5.5 million police/court facility, Hyde Park town leaders are considering whether or not to move forward with an alternative plan for the project.
Town Supervisor Pompey Delafield went out of town for a few days following the vote and Deputy Supervisor Robert Linville (D-1st Ward) discussed what the next step may be. “I don’t have the answer,” said Linville. “It’s certainly true that the problem has not gone away,” he added, referring to deteriorating conditions at police headquarters on Route 9G.
The police department leases a building that suffers from numerous problems such as mold, septic trouble, flooding, exposed wiring, undrinkable water and leaking roofs. The police department has outgrown the building and works in cramped conditions. Town hall is also experiencing growing pains; the police/court facility advisory committee had recommended constructing a new facility that would serve both entities in one building.
Voters defeated the borrowing plan by a margin of 1,783 to 1,439, which is an indicator that many taxpayers support the project on some level, Linville said. According to Linville, the decision to build a new facility was not made overnight. “The board spent a lot of time reviewing recommendations set forth by the advisory committee,” said Linville. “We looked at a lot of data – the committee studied their options quite thoroughly, and we thought we offered the best option,” he said.
While it’s clear that the $5.5 plan will not be accepted by taxpayers, the police are still in need of help, said Linville. “We’re still responsible for trying to find solutions,” he said. Many voters who supported the project are wondering why the initiative was defeated, and Linville ventured a guess. “I have to assume it was money,” he said. “It’s interesting to wonder if voters won’t support it at $47 a year, what would they support? We thought we were getting a pretty good bang for the buck.”
Town Councilman Bob Kampf (D-3rd Ward) serves as a Town Board liaison with the Police/Court Advisory Committee and said any plans to move ahead will need to be initiated by the Town Board. “The think the committee will have to be directed by the board,” said Kampf. “We can go back to the drawing board, or we can do nothing,” said Kampf.
One possible alternative, he said, may be to lease a building with an option to buy. The committee had previously considered an idea set forth that would alloy the owners of the Crofton Mews development on Route 9G to construct a facility at Crofton Mews and lease the building to the town. “We could also renovate town hall,” said Kampf, who agreed whatever the next option may be, the price tag needs to be lowered. “If anything, I think it has to be scaled down somewhat,” he said.
Kampf suggested getting a clearer idea of the dollar amount that Hyde Park taxpayers can afford. “If there’s a magic number, we have to find out what it is,” he said.
Kampf, a long-time Hyde Park resident, has seen the town evolve over the years. New pending developments, such as St. Andrews at Historic Hyde Park and The Club, both to be built on St. Andrews Road, will contribute to significant commercial and residential growth over the next several years, said Kampf. “Hyde Park is growing,” he said. “People need to change with the times.”
Hyde Park resident Chauncey Murphey is a member of the Independence party who will be running against Delafield for the position of supervisor. Murphey attributed two factors of “equal magnitude” that led to the vote’s failure. “I don’t believe taxpayers appreciated that the Town Board tried do without a public vote,” he said.
The second factor, said Murphey, was the scale of the project. “It was a wish-list type of project that I’m not sure everybody could afford,” he said.
Murphey agrees the police department deserves better working conditions. “I think there’s several alternatives that would have come out if the public was asked, but the public was never asked,” he said. Murphey suggested expanding town hall by utilizing an adjacent parking area.
In the meantime, said Murphey, conditions at the police station should be improved. “Some of the maintenance issues are a problem with the town,” said Murphey. “It’s not a healthy environment, whether it’s potholes, mold or bare wires. The town has agreed to perform some maintenance in its lease but hasn’t done so,” he said.