Valdese council cancels architect contract, Chief Sharpe addresses ‘Ugly Truth’

After gaining momentum on the years-long saga for a public safety building, the Valdese Town Council is taking a step back by terminating the approved architect to instead hire a general contractor.

This would be the second contract cancellation in less than a year. The council unanimously voted in December 2023 to terminate the town’s contract with CBSA Architects, the firm that had been hired to prepare the construction documents necessary for a proposed new public safety building.

In August, the council decided to buy and renovate 215 Main St. E, the former law office of Marc Mitchell, for the police department. A new building for the fire department will be constructed at 200 Massel Ave. SW, next to Valdese Town Hall. New spaces for police and fire have been in the eyes of Valdese council members dating back to 2018 when a structural engineer completed a study of their former shared building at 121 Faet St. SW.

The council discussed the change of direction during its Monday, Oct. 7, meeting after Councilman Glenn Harvey made a motion.

His motion called for the following:

• Mark the public safety building, located at 215 Main St. E, as the town’s top priority.
• Have Interim Town Manager Bo Weichel draft a Request for Qualifications document (RFQ) for an N.C. general contractor for a design-build contract to be completed within six months. The cost of the construction should be capped at
• $1.75 million, however, his original motion called for $1 million.
• Terminate the existing design-build contract with Talley & Smith Architecture, which had been approved on Aug. 5. The contract cancellation will cost the town nothing and the town has not been billed for any services.

“The town has been dealing with several needs that have been deferred for many years, and the Council must prioritize the needs and the available funding to meet the needs,” Harvey explained. “The estimated cost of the architectural firm’s approach to renovating this building exceeded the anticipated cost factor of upwards of three times what the Facilities Review Committee anticipated, including an architect’s fee of $175,000.”

Harvey noted that the Facilities Review Committee has a combined experience of nearly 150 years in facilities management. They strongly recommended the design-build approach and the cancellation.

THE UGLY TRUTH

Following the motion, Councilman Rexanna Lowman asked Chief Marc Sharpe to share his vision for the building. He walked to the stand and thanked the council for the opportunity to speak since he said he didn’t know if he’d been heard on the issue.

His presentation focused on “The Ugly Truth” of employee retention, implementing strategies to tackle their homeless/drug problems, and the outdated practices and equipment that his officers face.

“I will say the council approved $5,000 in training, funds that we have utilized to meet those needs. However, the department is lacking across the board in multiple areas that have been neglected and ignored over time, such as software updates and quality reporting systems,” Sharpe said. “A $20,000 cut in our budget this year, knocked that out for us.”

During his time in Valdse, Sharpe explained that he has implemented in-house training, updated outdated policies, improved firearm scores, coordinated the Chaplain’s program, and so on.

The department has experienced the following turnover rates:

• Last 10 years — 39 officers
• Last two years — Seven officers; four of the seven left for better pay
• Last seven months — Two reserve officers; one left for better pay and the other was dismissed

Valdese officers’ starting salaries are the lowest compared to surrounding areas and offer no experience incentives. Sharpe noted all officers attend the same Basic Law Enforcement Training.

“We need upgrades across the board, as we are 25 to 50 years behind in much of our layout, technology, software, and abilities to provide the services to this community it deserves. I continue to recruit, sell, and offer our town and our department to those wanting to serve as a law enforcement officer, but the ugly truth is we are struggling to promote ourselves. We need facilities— the backbone and foundation of a quality police department,” Sharpe explained.

FACILITY NEEDS

In similarly sized Maiden, Sharpe said that town in 2018 built a $2.2 million facility from the ground up. Maiden’s population is about 3,800 residents with 5.6 square miles of patrolling area. Valdese is slightly larger yet has only 13 sworn officers compared to Maiden’s 21.

The Valdese chief recently toured the Maiden facility and field-shadowed its captain. The headquarters has departmental lockers, training rooms, office space, a secured sally port for entry, and so on.

Sharpe called the current Valdese police headquarters “outdated and inadequate in keeping with up technology changes” — many of which are required by the N.C. criminal justice system.

Sharpe then gave specific examples over the past nine months to show how the department is unable to meet requirements:

• 230 arrests (majority would need audio- and video-recorded statements)
• 509 filed reports (should have audio and video non-custodial interview attached)
• 155 towed vehicles, many with evidentiary value (no place to secure the vehicle, issue search warrants, or process additional trace evidence)

Most investigations have three types of evidence: interviews/interrogations; crime scenes; and digital crime scenes. A digital crime scene includes various forms of video, computers, cell phones, internal car technology, and other evidence.

Sharpe said they need a facility to maintain these processes, especially with technological evidence that needs to be stored in charging ports.

Sharpe further noted that many Valdese police cars’ camera systems are outdated and unusable and should be replaced.

Finishing his presentation, Sharpe said:

“This is not a council versus staff issue. It is needs-based. Unfortunately, in life, and especially in police work, never have I ever made everyone happy. You, as council members, will not either, but these hard decisions need to be based on needs. Remember, I speak to you tonight as your chief of police. I am a department head, an employee, a citizen, a fellow taxpayer of this town, and not to mention a homegrown son of Valdese who wants what is best for all of us.”

The public safety facility will be addressed during the facilities workshop at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24, at Town Hall, located at 102 Massel Ave. SW.