DURHAM- After a delay in a final vote, there's progress in the debate over how to design the new Durham Police Headquarters along East Main Street. There are questions over what should happen to the 92 year old Carpenter Chevrolet building that sits on the corner.
"Because there's some people that wants the city to pay to keep the building to renovate it, and to make it part of the police department...We don't want to do that," says Councilman Steve Schewel.
Originally, there were five different proposals for a design. Two of which would've kept the building, but city leaders say that would've been too costly.
"That's just very, very expensive. The project is a very expensive project and it would add another 4 million dollars to it," says Schewel.
However, some see it as a historical landmark and would like the city to keep it.
"The significance is , along with other buildings, right there along Main Street...this is one of the earliest car dealerships in Durham," says Wendy Hillis, Executive Director of Preservation Durham.
Hillis, as well as other advocates, proposed a sixth option. It would allow the city to sell the building to a private owner. That way, the building would be preserved but the city wouldn't have to pay for it.
The project's cost now stands at an estimated $71 million. The money will be funded over time through the Capital Improvement Plan Fund. Work is set to start in 2016 and finish in 2017.