Bel Air Town Hall Renovation Project Marks Milestone

BEL AIR, MD — After years of preparation, the project to renovate the Bel Air Town Hall is making headway this week.

Contractors had to submit their bids by 2 p.m. on Wednesday for the Bel Air Town Hall and Bel Air Police Department renovation project.

About 25 people showed up for the pre-bid meeting in August, including at least six general contractors, after the construction documents for the project were finalized, according to Bel Air Director of Planning Kevin Small.

Construction was estimated at $8.6 million by the design firm Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates Architects, but the numbers may shift.

The request for proposals allowed for negotiation, according to Small. It also called for selective demolition at Town Hall.

For several years the project has been in the pipeline, since the Bel Air Police Department's current physical space — which is under Town Hall — presents challenges for staffing, storing evidence and keeping detainees. It is also out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and does not meet law enforcement accreditation standards.

Construction is slated to begin in October and could be complete by spring 2023, based on the plan outlined by Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates.

The time frame may be hard to gauge because of supply chain obstacles, according to Small.

“If you want steel this time next year, you need to order it now," Small said at the Bel Air town commissioners' work session Tuesday night. “We’re going to have some challenges there."

Said Small: “Nothing is being delivered on time to anywhere."

To cover the cost of construction, the town is seeking infrastructure bonds of up to $9.5 million from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

“The actual cost of the project is still unknown,” Bel Air Finance Director Lisa M. Moody said at the Sept. 20 Town Hall meeting, since bids were not in yet. “We’re only going to borrow what we need."

Interest rates will may not exceed 4.75 percent, according to the resolution she introduced about the bonds. Rates will be finalized in October, and the bonds will be sold in November, with closing slated for Nov. 18, according to Moody, who said funds will be available immediately after closing.

By law, she said the town had to advertise the infrastructure bond resolution in the local paper weeks before it could be adopted, to solicit public comment. It went into the Sept. 22 Aegis.

A petition could bring the issue to referendum, according to Moody, who said: "We don't anticipate that, but we had to structure" the resolution to allow time for that.

The commissioners unanimously approved introduction of the resolution about the infrastructure bond at their Sept. 20 meeting.

A public hearing on the infrastructure bond resolution was slated for Oct. 4 at the Bel Air Town Hall. It has been postponed until 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 18, at Town Hall, 39 N Hickory Ave, Bel Air, MD 21014.

No opposition has been expressed regarding the project, Bel Air Director of Human Resources & Administration Michael Krantz told Patch Thursday afternoon. He attributed postponement of the public hearing and cancellation of a special work session on the bids Thursday, Sept. 30, to the fact that it was "taking longer to review the bids than originally anticipated."

Related:

• Bel Air Police Station: 3 Options For Building Proposed
• Expansion For Bel Air Police Department Ahead
• Bel Air Taxes Increase For First Time Since 2004

See the Bel Air police department and town hall expansion webpage.