FARMINGTON – Franklin County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with a space and structural needs study of the courthouse and sheriff’s office.

Commissioners also agreed to have a county Web site established at a startup cost of $600, plus $75 each month changes need to be made to it.

Members of Smith Reuter and Lull Architects of Lewiston and Bethel had unveiled their preliminary ideas to alleviate space concerns at each building to the county building committee on Thursday and to county commissioners on Tuesday.

The next stages are to develop plans and budgets and finding funding sources. The firm’s proposed fees are $31,500 for everything outlined for the study.

Among preliminary findings meant to generate discussion and ideas is to move the Probate Court and affiliated services to the 12th District Court building across the street and to move the District Attorney’s offices to the first floor of the courthouse from the ground level.

A major part of the findings was to build a new public safety facility to house the sheriff’s department and emergency dispatch services, county commission office and administration, county emergency management agency and possibly the Farmington Police Department.

That would be built on 14 acres the county owns where the jail and sheriff’s department are located.

Farmington Town Manager Richard Davis said he is interested in more details and seeing plans because the Police Department space at the municipal building has been a concern for years.

A study of that department showed that it needs about 12,000 square feet of space compared with about 800 square feet that it has now.

John Cleveland, a consultant who works with the architect firm, said there is no talk of joining the two police departments. They would share common space including a meeting room, kitchen area, perhaps a locker room, patrol offices and so forth.

“We see an opportunity where a lot of common space could be shared,” Cleveland said. “It would still be two different departments.”

“Our space is totally inadequate,” Davis said, “but it always comes down to the issue of funding.

“I think the town is open to looking at it,” he added.

Cleveland said there is opportunity for funding from several avenues.

Commissioner Fred Hardy of New Sharon said the firm’s preliminary findings makes sense to him.

“My biggest concern with the whole thing, outside of where the hell are we going to find the money, is dispatch,” Hardy said. “I think dispatch is our No. 1 priority. … My thoughts are we really need to get dispatch a secure place.”

Commissioner Gary McGrane added that collaboration of the town and county level is economically feasible. He said he would like to see a layout and was pleased with the cooperation to date. He suggested the firm look at previously developed jail expansion plans to see if anything could be gained from them.