Benton board OKs smaller law center

The new Benton County Law Enforcement Center will be smaller that officials originally thought.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a revised plan for the center with fewer rooms that is 808 square feet smaller than the original plan.

That plan, by Design Dynamics of Cedar Rapids, had received Board of Supervisors and Federal Emergency Management Agency approval earlier this year. That meant FEMA would pay up to $6 million to replace the facilities damaged in last year's flood.

But supervisors had since been told the plan varied too far from the original building, and FEMA would not pay to build the extra space.

After conferring with state officials on Iowa's building codes, Design Dynamics gave the board two options:

• Continue with the plan already approved by the board, with the county paying for costs not covered by FEMA.

• Approve a slightly modified layout of the building, minus the space not covered by FEMA.

The board chose to proceed with the slightly smaller design.

Among the changes are narrower halls and combining restrooms with locker rooms.

Sheriff Randall Forsyth said the original building was overcrowded, but his staff will cope with whatever is built.

In a related matter, Mike Elwick of the Vinton Municipal Electrical Utility told the supervisors his agency would be declining FEMA money for flood mitigation because of some of the restrictions in FEMA regulations.