Pink Hill Police Dept. may need to move

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Pink Hill Police Dept. may need to move

October 24,2006

MICHAEL ABERNETHY

STAFF WRITER

Kinston Free Press, Kinston, NC

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PINK HILL — A leaking roof causing rot and mold in the town's police

office could prompt the department to move.

Town commissioners are hesitant to spend more than $10,000 patching

the roof of the office at 303 S. Central Ave. due to the building's

age and general condition. They are working with Lenoir County to

possibly move the department headquarters into a section of the

Emergency Management Service's bay.

" If we just patch it, down the road it's going to be worse, " said

Mayor . " If we're going to (fix the roof), then we

ought to go ahead and do it the way it ought to be done. If we redo

the whole roof on that building the expense could double. "

Pointing to a water-stained wall caused by a leaky roof, Police

Officer Thigpen peeled back a section of rotten paneling Monday.

" If they get in here and start tearing stuff out, the wood is so

rotten they might see they need to replace it all, " Thigpen

said. " You know how it is when you're trying to fix something

rotten: You have to start from scratch. "

The ceiling of a storage room in the back of the office is almost

entirely covered in mold.

At the board's Oct. 10 meeting, Commissioner Carol Sykes said

spending money on repairs is akin to " throwing good money after bad. "

" In my opinion, the building over there is not worth spending the

money on, " said Carol Sykes, police commissioner. " My hope is that

having a new police office will make a better impression. I would

like for the Pink Hill Police Department to have a positive image. "

said minor modifications could be made to the bay area to

house the police office and evidence room.

The board is in conversation with Lenoir County Emergency Management

Services to possibly move the town's police headquarters to the

county's EMS station next to town hall. County EMS officials could

not be reached for comment Monday, but a formal meeting to discuss

the move with County Manager Mike Jarman is in the works.

" We aren't trying to run anybody out, but we are trying to use the

best resources we've got, " said.

Sykes said the last repairs to the building occurred about five

years ago. She once worked in the building.

" Over the years it's leaked and it's just terrible, " Sykes

said. " This is a new chapter, with a new police officer (Thigpen). I

think it's time for a new start. "