Sheriff says HQ site just fine for building

The results of core drilling at a potential site for a new Athens County Sheriff's Office have come back showing that a proposed site off U.S. Rt. 33 northwest of Athens is suitable for construction. However, funding for the office has yet to be secured.

Sheriff Pat Kelly said Wednesday that he received the final report declaring the land suitable this past week. The cost of the drilling came in at $7,000, below the $10,000 that the Athens County Commissioners had allocated for the project. On Tuesday, the commissioners approved Kelly's using the remaining $3,000 for surveying the five acres of the property where construction would take place.

The property is 29 acres, Kelly said, at a location on a side road just north of the junction of state Rt. 550 and U.S. Rt. 33.

The sheriff said that further funding for the project is something the commissioners will have to address. One idea currently on the table, from Commissioner Mark Sullivan, is a one-year sales-tax increase. Sullivan said he is considering the possibility of putting a 0.25 percent, one-year sales tax before the voters, which would raise approximately $1 million and cover much of the costs of building the headquarters.

The potential location of the new headquarters, Kelly said, was chosen because of its accessibility to the highways. He said that his office has outgrown its current headquarters on Washington Street in uptown Athens.

"This place is the only county office in Athens County that is not handicap-accessible," he said. Other problems he cited with the current headquarters include a lack of parking space, lack of holding space and lack of training facilities, among many more. "There are hundreds of reasons why we should move from downtown Athens."

The potential headquarters property is owned by local developer Brent Hayes, who has been working with the sheriff on the project, Kelly said.

"He wants to sell the property, and I'm hoping that the county wants to buy it," he said.

The price of the property is currently in negotiation, though Kelly said the site was priced in the local realty market at $175,000.

"I think that the commissioners and I all agree that that's a good price for that location and that property," Kelly said.

In additional to office space, a training center and other in-building facilities, the new headquarters would also feature an impound lot and firing range, Kelly said.

When Kelly took office last January, he said, he began discussions with the commissioners about building the new headquarters.

"This is long overdue, and there's nobody who disagrees with that," Kelly said. "We've outgrown this building, and the usefulness of it."

The Sheriff's Office would have the potential to make money off the new facilities, according to Kelly, by hosting officer continuing-education training courses, as well as concealed-carry classes and its new police academy school.

The sheriff said the academy began Tuesday night, and allows officers to complete Ohio Police Officer Training Council requirements for carrying a weapon and having arrest powers by attending 580 hours of training.

The academy runs in the evenings from 6-10 p.m. and runs from March to August. With 25 instructors, Kelly said that 16 participants are currently enrolled, paying a $3,700 fee for the courses. He said this is about $2,000 cheaper than many other academies.

The training center would also host concealed-carry classes and all types of training that the Sheriff's Office might conduct.

"Law enforcement is ever-changing... We have changed the total outlook of the Sheriff's Office," he said. "We are involved in training, outreach to the public, community services. We have a narcotics team here now "“ things we didn't have before."

Kelly said that as far as the timeline for the new headquarters goes, with the drilling done, surveying is next. This, he said, will take about a week.

"I am hoping that the commissioners purchase the land this year," he said. "We would probably begin construction on it next year."

Commissioner Lenny Eliason previously said that construction may begin in 2010, depending on how soon a location is selected, though construction probably will begin in 2011.

Kelly said that Commissioners Eliason and Sullivan are both on board with the new headquarters and the potential property. Commissioner Larry Payne voted in January against giving Kelly the initial $10,000 for the core drilling, citing his concern that, while he recognizes the need for a new headquarters, the current economic climate is not the ideal time to undertake the project.

Kelly said that he understands that Payne would like to see the Sheriff's Office use the same property as the County Engineer's Office.

"Clearly, we're not going to the Engineer's Office," Kelly said. "The engineer doesn't want us there, and the sheriff doesn't want us there."

Kelly also pointed out that his office depends on Hocking College to use their firing range for certification purposes. A new headquarters would eliminate that dependence.

He said he's been talking with another law-enforcement agency that might be interested in renting a portion of the new headquarters space, which he said would help lower costs.

"It's a win-win situation," Kelly said. "It's a plus for the county."