BETHEL — When the Oxford County Sheriff's Office moved into the Mahoosuc Land Trust building in July 2010, it was meant to be temporary.

The department is looking at the possibility of moving into the basement of the Bethel Fire Station, Sheriff Wayne Gallant said.

“Eventually, the federal government is going to put that building up for sale, we believe,” Gallant said. I'm just trying to get a little ahead of it, so in case it does happen, we've at least got another plan in place,” he said.

The building's large parking lot is also expensive to keep clean. Gallant said that last winter, the county paid about $4,000 in plowing costs.

Before the Sheriff's Office moves to the Bethel Fire Station, there are hurtles the county must overcome.

“There may be some restrictions on the use of that basement,” Gallant said. The Fire Marshall's Office has concerns with the basement, which is not handicap accessible from the upstairs.

According to Oxford County Administrator Scott Cole, who is the former Bethel town manager, the station had an elevator shaft built into the frame, but the elevator was never built in order to save money. Now, the only door downstairs goes out the basement door, he said.

Gallant said he's hoping some basic cosmetic changes, and the fact that the basement has its own entrance for deputies to use, will be enough to convince the Fire Marshal's Office.

The Sheriff's Office has been handling law enforcement duties in Bethel for more than a year.

After the departure of Bethel Police Department Chief Alan Carr in September 2009, the town had only one full-time officer. Coverage was sparse, and providing full coverage yearly was estimated at $453,794.

The Oxford County Sheriff's Office would provide the coverage for $295,000, which would pay for salaries, equipment and office space for three full-time deputies to provide 24-hour coverage.

At the town meeting in June 2010, voters OK'd a referendum to replace the Bethel Police Department with county coverage. The vote was 526-403.

treaves@sunjournal.com

Editor's note: In a previous version of this story, the date the sheriff's office moved into the Mahoosuc Land Trust building was incorrect. It was an editing error and has been corrected.