MILTON, Del. - Milton Town Council received an update Monday night on the ongoing due diligence process related to six downtown lots the town is considering purchasing.
The land comes with a price tag of $1.65 million. As of now, survey work, topography mapping, and soil testing are still underway.
One potential use for the space includes the construction of a 26,000-square-foot building that could serve multiple municipal purposes. Among those possibilities is a new police station, which Milton Mayor John Collier says it's very undersized.
"There are certain requirements that we need to meet, and we are rapidly approaching a point where we're out of compliance, and there's no place to expand the existing building to kind of pick up that shortfall," Collier said. "The only other choice is to look for a new location."
Milton resident Valerie Connolly voiced her support for the idea.
"We definitely need more buildings to house all of the needs for the resources, for the people, absolutely," Connolly said.
The proposed structure could also feature a dedicated meeting space for the town and a workspace for council members. Currently, members conduct their work from home due to the lack of municipal office space.
"We manage, but we struggled to get all of our meetings scheduled and stuff and have places to do them, and we rely on the library, local churches, some of the clubhouses, and some of the HOA neighborhoods, wherever we can find a space that they allow us to use," Collier said. "It's really a pain in the neck to have to try to schedule around that."
The final report, which includes the site plan and soil analysis, will be presented at a meeting on April 28.
"It's a building to meet the needs and the people that operate the town on a day-to-day basis," Collier said.
The due diligence period ends on May 5. If the town decides to proceed with the purchase, settlement would take place shortly after that date.