Four years ago the Town of Kitty Hawk realized they had to move their Police Building from its present location on Kitty Hawk Road to a new site. The current location on West Kitty Hawk Road is between two canals and it has flooded at least twice in the past eight years.
On Friday the town held a groundbreaking ceremony at what was the Sentara Medical Center next door to the Outer Bank Visistor Welcome Center.
They had bought the property back in September from Pasquotank County for $4.1 million with the plan to move the police station there. That actually represents a very substantial savings over what the town would have had to pay for any other site.
The steps to purchase the property and begin the process of creating a new police department were frustrating and time consuming Kitty Hawk Mayor Craig Garriss said.
The building is actually much larger than is needed, and the north end of the structure will be demolished. It isn’t just the unneeded space that is driving that decision. According to officials at the groundbreaking, the north end is contaminated with mold. The wing that is being retained was extensively renovated and updated fairly recently.
The police will not need all of the space available in the structure. Right now Bear Drugs occupies a corner of the building on the south side, and they will continue to lease the space. The town is also hoping to lease the remaining suites for medical use.
No timeline was announced for completion of the project. Town officials noted supply chain and workforce issues will determine how quickly the project can be completed.
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