Unfortunately, the former Sellersburg State Bank and former Police Station Building has lots of issues including structural, water damage, mold, lead paint, and asbestos. As a result, the Council decided it best to demolish the structure. As much as possible of the original limestone façade is going to be saved as well as the old bank vault door.
The hope is to build a new town hall in the near future on the site and incorporate the saved materials into the new building. The design inspiration for the new building will be the old Sellersburg Elementary School building located on New Albany St.
This was topic was discussed at multiple council meetings since the Sellersburg Police Department moved out. The demolition project was publicly bid and awarded at the October 16, 2023 Town Council Meeting. It was also featured in the News & Tribune on September 21st: Sellersburg looking to demolish old police station | News | newsandtribune.com. Prior to any bid documents being created, there was a walk through with the Southern Regional Office of Indiana Landmarks to ensure there were no other items of historical value other than the limestone and bank vault door that needed to be saved.
As part of the bid, all asbestos and lead paint has to be remediated prior to demo in accordance with the law. In addition to the as much limestone as possible and the bank door being saved, we are going to save the AC units on the roof as well as the backup electrical generation system on the building. We will also be preserving the flagpole. The hope is to be able to reuse them as well.
There is not a timeframe for a new Town Hall at this time. Until a decision is made regarding the future of the site, the area will be a green space upon completion of the demolition. However, should it formally be decided to build a new Town Hall, the new building would house everything except the police in one building instead of the two buildings we currently have. It would also have the storage space needed to keep all records of the town and billing office where currently we struggle to house it all. It would also need an enlarge the council room and added space for offices for redevelopment, parks, legal, and engineering. The goal would be to make it an all-inclusive community building that is better suited for the needs of the town residents, not just for now, but for 20-30-40+ years from now. There would also be a community room that could be reserved for various purposes.
Whenever a new Town Hall happens, the two current buildings that serve as the town offices would be repurposed for community use or demolished to make way for future business space or additional outdoor park space. Reinvesting in the original Downtown Sellersburg is a top priority of the Council.
