By Glenn Rolfe

DAGSBORO — There may be some alterations coming in plans for a new police station and Town Hall renovation — a project more than two years along.

On Tuesday, police and town officials met with Davis, Bowen & Friedel representatives for the unveiling of design sketches, but “a lot is going to change,” said town administrator Cindi Brought.

Initial plans, introduced in February 2021, called for a two-story, 2,050-square-foot police building and a separate 450-square-foot meeting room at the Main Street site. A breezeway would link the meeting facility and the existing Town Hall, which would also undergo upgrades.

Since then — with an adjoining property gifted to the town by Mayor William Chandler and the potential purchase of another — town leaders are looking to rework their options.

One change may be to have a one-story police station instead of the two-story structure.

“I think we all agree we’re getting away from the two-story. Now, we can kind of spread it out,” Ms. Brought said. “We’re trying to figure out the layout of the police building, the layout of the meeting room and refurbishing Town Hall. Plus, we can move the entrance and exit down a bit (on Main Street).”

The police station would be fenced in, with an impound area. And the officers’ current facility — basically an expanded shed behind Town Hall — will be razed.

In addition, at Monday’s Town Council meeting, Mayor Chandler urged Dagsboro personnel to make their needs known.

“I want input from you all. That’s what is most important to me — what’s going into the police department. (And) I want input from Cindi and her staff on what’s going into the Town Hall part of it,” he said.

There are also plans to expand the meeting room to accommodate at least 50 people and to host council meetings, which are now held at the Bethel Center on Clayton Street.

As far as the cost of the effort, at present, the town has about $990,000, which includes bond bill funds.

“I’m hoping I can get more bond bill money. After all, Dewey got — what? — $3 million from the state bond bill,” said Ms. Brought.

Officials are also seeking grants, including one via the University of Delaware that could aid funding of the police department, she added.

The expectation is that the project will go out for construction bids by the end of the year.

“That’s where we’re going to get into the money and how much we have got to have before we can continue,” said Ms. Brought.