Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Penndel Borough will finally have space for it’s police department, space that council members say it desperately needs. But will the space end up costing the borough money it just doesn’t have?
On February 10, Penndel Borough Council approved the purchase of the property next door in the amount of $190,000. Closing costs are expected to cost the borough less than $5,000. The building, after renovations, will be used to house the borough’s police force.
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The purchase was secured with money gifted by Hulmeville Borough. The neighboring borough acquired the money from a $200,000 grant associated with Parx Casino through the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority (RDA). According to RDA Director Robert White, Hulmeville, being so small, could not find a project large enough to spend the money on.
The small building, which is vacant and next to the borough hall, has an upstairs and a garage bay with two large doors.
While Councilwoman Kali Sodano is excited at the prospects of the building for the borough, she thinks more discussion with key borough officials is necessary.
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“Moving forward I would like to see council have an in depth conversation with Mayor Winkler and Chief Sciscio about the top priorities, needs and desired functionality of the space,” Sodano told LevittownNow.com. “Ideally I would also like to see an RFP go out to the builders so we can get a better idea of renovation costs; a much larger discussion about funding needs to happen.”
While the borough has secured the funds to purchase the building, it is not certain what renovations or inspections will be necessary to bring the building up to code. According to residents, that could be a cost the borough just can’t afford to pay.
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To some residents’ knowledge, like fomer council member Mike Smith, the building needs significant work and does not meet the requirements deemed necessary by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The borough has not included money in their budget to cover the costs of possible building renovations, it is the borough’s hope that money left over from the grant, approximately $5,000, will be used to cover the cost of renovating it for borough use.
Currently, the police department is housed in a small room in the back of the borough hall. There are a couple of work stations but no holding cells to secure prisoners; officers have to transport the detainees to Middletown or another police department.
Settlement on the building is expected for March 21.
