GARNER — The architecture firm hired to design renovations for Garner’s Town Hall and police station has presented a series of conceptual designs for the town council to consider.

The proposals presented Tuesday by Jennifer Amster, a principal at BJAC, varied in where Town Hall and the police station would be located and whether existing buildings would be renovated or torn down.

Some designs hinged on moving Southeast Regional Library – part of the Wake County Library system – while others had town-owned buildings and privately owned buildings forming the core of a mixed-use development.

The four proposals ranged in cost from $9.1 million to $11.8 million, roughly in line with the $6 million to $11 million estimated when the council awarded the design contract to BJAC in June.

Williams said he expects the money to come from a bond referendum next April or May.

The town’s aging facilities would require extensive renovations for continued use and have been called grossly insufficient in terms of space. About two months ago, the town bought two buildings on the property next to the library for $900,000 – Mayor Ronnie Williams said they were valued at $3 million. Those buildings would become a new police station under one plan.

As part of the process to determine Garner’s needs, the architects studied recently built or renovated town halls in the comparably sized towns of Holly Springs and Wake Forest.

Based on that study, BJAC estimated Garner would need 20,000 square feet for Town Hall and another 20,000 for the police station.

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