News

By Willie Howard

    Lantana’s Town Council recently hired consulting engineers to oversee the renovation of a water-damaged building on North Eighth Street to create a new headquarters for the Lantana Police Department.
    The council unanimously approved an $83,450 contract with Mathews Consulting Inc. at its Nov. 28 meeting for the design, permitting, bidding and construction administration needed to transform the vacant, uninhabitable building into fresh offices for the town’s police officers and administrative staff.
    Design work should be completed in time to put the project out for bid in January, Lantana Police Cmdr. Robert Hagerty said. If the project moves forward on schedule, construction will begin in March and will be completed by mid-July.
    The town’s 42 police officers and administrative employees currently work from two small buildings near Town Hall, which is on Greynolds Circle south of Lantana Road.
    The 10,000-square-foot building that will be renovated is about three times the size of the existing police building.
    The Nov. 28 vote to proceed was made with no discussion from the council.
    The town plans to use a $500,000 state grant to pay for the renovation work, along with some town funds if needed. The town’s lease on the building extends through 2048.
    The new location will allow police to keep a close eye on the town’s new sports fields and will be close to the Water Tower Commons, the retail and residential complex being developed at the former A.G. Holley hospital site on the north side of Lantana Road east of Interstate 95.
    In other business at its Nov. 28 meeting, the Town Council approved a $59,565 contract with Mathews Consulting to oversee the design and construction of an 8-foot-wide path along North Eighth Street, extending from Lantana Road north to the sports complex. The North Broadway neighborhood project includes two basketball courts and traffic-calming work on North Eighth Street.
    The town is scheduled to receive $362,000 from Palm Beach County for the improvements, including $46,700 in Community Development Block Grant money.
    The town will contribute $26,000 to match the block grant. Lantana Development LLC, the developer of Water Tower Commons, will chip in another $33,000 in exchange for having the walking path extended along its property.