When the Town of Hinesburg first put forth a proposal to build a new police station, part of that plan was to demolish the converted farmhouse that served as the old police station. But now that the new station is built, some townspeople would rather see the old building put to a new use.
The matter was the topic of considerable discussion at the March 24 Hinesburg Select Board meeting. Laura Hoopes and Kathleen Patten of the Hinesburg Community Resource Center (HCRC) initiated the discussion, saying the HCRC would like to take ownership of the building and open a thrift shop to support existing HCRC programs, such as the Hinesburg Food Shelf.
Other residents supported the idea, and the concept of reusing the building, but said they did not want to see tax dollars spent on building renovations. HCRC representatives said they were given an estimate of $75,000 for building repairs, but some felt significantly more money would be needed. Others said they would rather see the building taken down and a town park put in its place.
Later in the meeting, according to the town's Weekly Update, the select board voted to start the process of seeking the permits necessary to demolish the old police station. The board also directed that proposals to save and reuse the building be presented to the board for consideration by Sept. 1.
