New Sheriff’s Office: Revamp Puller Center or build new

by Larry Chowning –

The Middlesex County Board of Supervisors (MCBS) now has a second opinion on whether to go new or refurbish old for a Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office building.

Engineer Jim Snowa of Deltaville indicated that an 80 by 125-foot metal building could cost a half million dollars less than the $3.75 million of estimated cost to refurbish the 1980s-era Puller building. Snowa indicated there is a $600,000 cost tied to demolition with the Puller Center building project, which could be saved with a new build.

He made it clear, however, he did not have all the facts needed to come up with a firm cost estimate for new construction.

Supervisors and Middlesex County Sheriff David Bushey want a new sheriff’s office as soon as possible. At the July regular supervisors board meeting, Bushey explained that the present sheriff’s office is not “accredited by Virginia’s Criminal Justice Services.” The accreditation is tied to a Police Reform Bill approved by the Virginia General Assembly in 2020 and went into effect March 2021.

Negatives of new build

It has been estimated that the Puller Center renovation from start to finish could take 24 months to complete. “We are talking about maybe two years now, we cannot wait much longer, said Bushey.

Bay Design Engineer Ben Burton, who has been working with the sheriff and county on the Puller Center project, said that there may be added costs for parking and sewer with a new building.

He also noted that a new building site will mean a “significant” expansion of stormwater management issues with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

Jamaica District Supervisor Wayne Jessie, who attended the meeting remotely from his hospital bed, said that in some cases “old is better than new.” The Puller Center building is 40 years old and most likely has better rafters than what they make today,” he said. “We have a building (Puller Center) that can withstand a hurricane. I’m not sure you are going to get that with a new building.”

Those at the meeting all seemed to be onboard to expedite the building some type of new sheriff’s office building.