A Chattanooga City Council committee in Chattanooga, Tenn., has recommended spending about $26.4 million to strip mold from the Police Services Center and expand the building, sending the plan toward a formal budget vote later this month.
The council’s Budget and Finance Committee agreed Tuesday to recommend roughly $17.5 million for mold remediation and an additional $8.9 million for an expansion. The plan calls for rebuilding the building on its existing foundation while adding a north-side expansion, which would add 18,000 square feet to the center on Amnicola Highway.
Council member Chip Henderson of Lookout Valley said the remediation estimate alone covers taking the building down to the studs and restoring it. Council member Jenny Hill of North Chattanooga asked that the work also address the building’s shell so the mold does not return.
Council member Cody Harvey of East Brainerd said a report on the structure’s exterior found no concerns with the building itself despite the extensive mold. Members said they favor paying for both pieces out of the unreserved fund balance rather than taking on debt. Officials warned that borrowing could put other capital work at risk, including the city’s $10 million paving program.
The city hired Belfor to handle remediation, and mold was found throughout the building’s ductwork. Police Chief John Chambers told the council last month that employees began getting sick as the problem went unresolved. Nearly a year after mold was found in the public lobby, the front office at police headquarters remains closed.
The spending debate also drew criticism from the Hamilton County Emergency Communications District, which has asked for raises for 911 telecommunicators. Executive director Jeff Carney said it was hard to watch the police building discussion when the city had not taken up a budget amendment for dispatcher pay. The district says its starting pay is $19.27 per hour.
Hill cautioned that the city budget is tight and that future bonding is already committed. The full council will formally vote on the budget amendment at a meeting later this month.
