Washington Township trustees consider purchasing property for new township hall, police station
Jun. 20—To replace its old township office on Blessing Drive, Washington Township trustees are looking at the possibility of purchasing property at the corner of Shoreland Avenue and Summit Street for a new hall and police station.
A public meeting to discuss the issue is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Shoreland Park shelter house. Residents can email questions beforehand to trustee@washington-twp.com.
Kellie Schlachter, township trustee, said the current building was a former fire station that over the years kept getting added on to and is now in need of repair. She estimated renovation costs to be $100,000 to $150,000, but also said the building needed to be brought into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"It needs a considerable amount of work," she said.
Presently, all the departments housed in the current building — including the trustee office, administration, police station, fiscal officer, zoning, and roads and parks — are in the process of moving to the Washington Township Fire Department on Shoreland Avenue.
Ms. Schlachter said there is enough room that the move could be made permanent, but officials would need to find a place to house the township's larger physical equipment.
She said the townships could have other possible options, too, for constructing a new township hall.
Officials are in the process of looking at estimated costs, Ms. Schlachter said. No offers have been made on the Shoreland and Summit property.
If the project were to move forward, trustees would look for grants and other options to fund it, Ms. Schlachter said.
"We do not plan on putting a levy on the ballot to get this money," she said.
And while trustees could vote on purchasing the property without approval from residents, she said they want to have a discussion about it.
"We don't need permission to [purchase property], however we feel strongly that this is a big deal," she said. "This is a lot of money."
First Published June 20, 2021, 1:11pm
