News

By Mary Thurwachter

    Thanks to a $500,000 state grant, approved by the Florida Legislature earlier this year, plans to renovate the old Juvenile Justice building at 901 N. Eighth St. off Lantana Road are rolling along. The building, on the northeast corner of the former A.G. Holley property, will become the new digs for the Police Department.
    The Town Council formally approved the grant agreement with the state Department of Economic Opportunity at its July 25 meeting.
    The building, currently uninhabitable, had sustained extensive water damage from a leaky roof.
    The grant will be used for improvements, including mold mitigation, air conditioning replacement, plumbing, electrical work, and outdoor improvements such as fencing, paving and landscaping.
    Mayor Dave Stewart said the grant is significant. “The town takes in just under $3 million in property taxes, so when you talk about getting a $500,000 grant it’s like 20 percent residents won’t have to pay,” he said.
    “The process will begin by awarding a contract to an architect, who will revise and prepare architectural drawings for this project,” said Lantana Police Cmdr. Robert Hagerty. “Once we have these, we will be advertising a request for proposals from local contractors to complete the scope of work determined for this building. We anticipate being able to move in by July 1 of 2017, or sooner.”
    For the past several years, the state-owned building has been used for training police officers and sheriff’s deputies.
    Lantana has a lease on the building through 2048.
    Stewart wanted the building, next to Lantana’s new Sports Complex, to be used as a recreational facility, but other council members preferred the plan to turn the 10,000-square-foot building into a police department. Currently, the department is housed in two smaller buildings next to Town Hall at 500 Greynolds Circle.
    The new location will put police in close proximity of Water Tower Commons, a retail and residential complex being developed on Lantana Road east of I-95.
    The present police buildings will be used to house other town departments.