Foundation Laid For Bel Air Town Hall

BEL AIR, MD — Concrete has been poured for the new Bel Air Town Hall and Bel Air Police Department headquarters.

To showcase the progress, the Bel Air Police Department shared the photo above Thursday with news of the development.

Bel Air Town Hall, which houses both government offices and the police station, has undergone two minor renovations in its nearly 60-year history. Neither renovation expanded the footprint of the building, according to town officials.

The project now underway will consist of an 11,000-square-foot renovation and expansion.

Part of the motivation for the construction project is to enable the town to update its police station.

The current space that houses the Bel Air Police Department — 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.

A groundbreaking for the more than $10 million project was held in mid-December.

In July, the town of Bel Air raised taxes for the first time since 2004 by 4 cents per $100 of assessable value of real and personal property taxes. About 3 cents were slated to go toward the debt on the project to expand the Bel Air Town Hall and police station.

Finance Director Lisa Moody said in November that the federal government had given the town about $10 million through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which provided $130 billion for local governments around the country. About $3.8 million of the funds for Bel Air will go toward renovation of the police station, Moody said.

Construction is expected to take 18 months.

See Also:

• Bel Air Town Hall Demolition Work Moves Forward
• Bel Air To Spend $10.4M On Town Hall, Police Station Construction
• Bel Air Town Hall Renovation Project Marks Milestone
• Bel Air Breaks Ground On New Town Hall Construction Project