The Crothersville Police Department was at 404 Moore St. before moving to 116 N. Armstrong St.
Tribune file photo
CROTHERSVILLE — The Crothersville Police Department has moved into a new location along the town’s main thoroughfare.
The move to 116 N. Armstrong St. leaves the previous police station at 404 Moore St. vacant.
The Crothersville Town Council recently was presented a resolution regarding interest in the sale of real estate for the 0.45-acre Moore Street property.
Town attorney Matt Lorenzo said approving the resolution doesn’t mean the building has to be sold. It just gives Clerk-Treasurer Danieta Foster the authority to get appraisals.
Council President Terry Richey asked if anyone had expressed interest in the building, and Foster said several have.
Councilman Jamy Greathouse said he has been working with a medical group about the possibility of opening a primary care office in town. The Moore Street building used to be a doctor’s office, and a second one was there until it was torn down.
“They would not be interested in purchasing for a minimum of five years, they said,” Greathouse said. “Basically, if they came in, it would be their feasibility time to see if they are able to generate revenue from it. At that point, they would revisit whether current purchase of the property would be a wise idea for them.”
Greathouse has a call set up with the group in February.
He said he’s not a big proponent of selling property owned by the town, especially for the price it paid for the two parcels. According to the property card on the Jackson County GIS map, the town paid $100 for the parcel with the building and $0 for the second parcel in 2009.
“I believe holding onto properties, if we have the option of leasing or doing other things with the property or find other uses ourselves for those, would be in better interest of ours,” Greathouse said. “Knowing what we obtained it for, I can promise we won’t buy something for that same level again and not spend that kind of money on it. It gives us opportunity to look at scopes in the future with things.”
Greathouse said he’s OK with just getting appraisals.
“Selling property we purchased at a low price, even though we can generate some revenue from it now, long term says that it still binds us because that’s one thing there’s not a lot of in this town is more properties if we decide to expand anything,” he said.
The resolution to seek appraisals was unanimously approved 5-0.
In the spring of 2022, town officials worked with FPBH Inc. to design a new building to put next to the police station on Moore Street. The project stemmed from a fifth officer being added to the force and the department running out of space for storage.
A 40-by-40-foot metal building was designed to provide space for a two-bay garage, a training room, a storage/evidence room, a lobby, an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restroom and a mechanical room. The idea was for the officers to remain in the building until another new one with offices could be constructed in the future.
The department had been in that location for about 10 years. The building has a ramp that leads from a sidewalk to the front entrance, but making it ADA-compliant would be expensive. A new building would put the department in ADA compliance and solve a lot of issues.
In July 2022, though, the council rejected three quotes received by contractors because they ranged from $227,000 to $328,000.
In September that year, the town bought the building on Armstrong Street (U.S. 31) for $124,900. A month before, the council approved using American Rescue Plan funding for the purchase of the 0.15-acre property up to the amount of the average of two appraisals.
After some painting was done at that building, leaks were found in the roof, so the council approved a new roof and new gutters.
In terms of funding that project, Foster said the town could borrow from the water depreciating fund until the police department is out of the Moore Street building and it’s sold. If it wasn’t paid back by the end of 2023, the town could get a six-month extension.
The town now has until June to sell the building if it chooses to do so.
“We cannot redo it again,” Foster said. “It’ll take at least three months to get it sold.”