At last night’s Batesville City Council meeting, resolutions supporting the purchase of property in central Batesville to move the Batesville Police Department (BPD) were passed by council members.
The BPD is currently housed at the entrance of the industrial park. In August, the city sold that property to Bad Boy Mowers for $1.3 million to accommodate expansion plans at the company. (Click here for that story.)
At Tuesday’s meeting, the council passed resolutions by unanimous vote to purchase property at 710 St. Louis St. from First Community Bank for the old Entergy/AP&L building to be utilized for the new home of the BPD.
It will be a $850,000 expenditure for an 8,000 square-foot building that has been remodeled by renters in the past. And Mayor Rick Elumbaugh said it will need some more renovation before the police department can make its move to the building.
Two adjacent properties were also purchased for a total of $275,000 to provide ample parking for the department.
The council also accepted a construction bid to build a facility that will house all of the maintenance, construction, street, sanitation, water, and landscape departments along with related equipment under one roof. The bid was just under $6 million.
Also under resolution was the purchase of property at 201 S. Central Ave., known as the “food truck lot.” The city wants to develop the property with a pavilion, green space, splash pad, and food truck area. The purchase price was set at $150,000 from Vida Enterprises, a local limited liability company.
And the council also voted unanimously to extend the franchise for ambulance service to Vital Link in Batesville for another five years.
At last night’s meeting, the council also authorized Mayor Elumbaugh to enter into an agreement with White River Planning and Development for administrative services and honored retiring Fire Chief Brent Gleghorn and Lieutenant Bill Johnson.
White River Now file image of Batesville Municipal Building by Gena Tate
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