Former Hayakawa Building Could Become New OPD

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

The Board of Aldermen approved spending about $12K on landscaping to screen the former Hayakawa building on Industrial Park Drive that could one day serve as a new OPD.
Rendering from the city of Oxford

The Oxford Board of Aldermen approved spending $12,000 Monday for a landscape screen around the former Hayakawa building that the city recently purchased in hopes of it serving as a future home to the Oxford Police Department.

The city has been researching possible sites for a new OPD for a couple of years, as OPD has outgrown its current location off Molly Barr Road, according to Chief Joey East. The building was built in the 1980s when OPD had half the number of officers and personnel.

Last year, the Board of Aldermen attempted to purchase the building that currently houses Oxford Elementary after the Oxford School District announced it would be building a new OE next to the Oxford Intermediate School.

The school district denied the city’s bid on the OE property and later voted not to sell it.

“Once our efforts to purchase OE did not pan out, we knew we still needed more space for a police department,” said Mayor Robyn Tannehill during a worksession meeting Monday with the aldermen. “This is what this building will be considered for. But right now we don’t have the funds to renovate it like we want to. We’re on hold but it’s one step closer to getting more space for the police department.”

The building is 54,000-square feet and is located on Industrial Park Road across from the Oxford Enterprise Center.

Earlier this month, the Board of Aldermen adopted an Intent Resolution for $1.9 million General Obligation Note for capital purchases that included the former Hayakawa building. Bart Robinson, Oxford’s chief of operations, said the cost of the building was about $1.5 million and includes 9 acres of land.

On Monday, the board approved a bid from Matthews Landscape and Maintenance, LLC in the amount of $12,343 to plant 16 large trees and about 200 smaller trees, bushes and shrubs to provide a screen until the city had the funding to complete renovations on the building.