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Clarksburg Voters OK Police FundsBy Tammy Daniels - December 13, 2007
 | | Police Chief Michael Williams explains the new layout for police station. |
CLARKSBURG - The town has qualified for a state matching grant to renovate its Police Department offices just days before the deadline.
Nearly 30 voters unanimously approved appropriating no more than $20,000 toward the grant at a special town meeting Wednesday night.
"Now that you folks have approved the money, this will be the last town meeting here. So you're witnessing history here," said Selectman Carl McKinney. "This building has served us well and we're stewards for the future. The building's going to be fixed and this goes a long way to doing that."
The funds, to be taken from the stabilization account, will be added to another $20,000 approved at last spring's town meeting. The money is enough to match a $40,000 grant from the state Executive Office of Public Safety.
If the article hadn't passed by Dec. 15, the town would have lost out on the funding and would have to apply again.
Town Administrator Michael Canales planned to submit the paperwork for the grant on Thursday.
The police station is little more than a blocked off hallway and a cramped windowless office.
Floor plans by Westall Architects. |
The new design, drawn up by Westall Architects of Williamstown, will retain the current Selectmen's meeting room and expand the police station into the open space now used for town meetings and elections.
"It is not only going to tackle the problems that we need for the expansion of the Police Department, but it's also going to meet our ADA issues," said Canales. "Overall it's going to allow a better flow into the building. ... We think it's a very effective use of this space."
Most of the offices in Town Hall are on the second floor, which can be reached by staircases on each end of the building. There's no elevator and no ramp for handicapped access. People who are disabled have to come through the meeting space and press a speaker button to flag someone on the second floor.
The new layout includes a comfortable lobby with a front desk marking the entrance to the police area that will be staffed during the day. Residents will be able to go up the stairs or have someone called to come down and meet them. A second conference room directly across from the Selectmen's room will provide a place to meet privately.
The design will bring Town Hall into compliance with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act; an earlier estimate for compliance, which would have included an elevator, was $300,000.
Canales said town meetings will be held at the elementary school and elections at the Senior Center, both off Cross Road.
Police Chief Michael Williams said privacy and safety issues would be addressed by the new layout. His office doubles as the evidence room and there's little room for private interviews or interrogations.
"If another officer comes in to do something, they have to walk through an interrogation. Right now we can't control much," said Williams. If the general public comes into the police station, we can't guarantee they're going to be safe if someone comes in and tries to fight with them or with us."
In addition to a front desk to control access, the new police station will include a chief's office (with a window); a large report room with outside access; an interrogation room; locker room, seperate evidence room and a stairway into the rest of the Town Hall. Prisoners will continue to be taken to the North Adams lockup.
"It will basically give us more room to coordinate and operate a lot more efficiently," said Williams, adding that he believed the plan would accommodate any future increase in officers.
The floor design also includes a room and vault for the Historical Commission and a bathroom. Canales said all the heating, electrical and communications/computer elements are part of the design.
Westall Architects will prepare the bidding specifications as soon as the state approves the plan. Bids will go out in the spring with construction to begin by summer.
Canales said the budget was going to be tight. "We think the $80,000 is going to do it but we know it's going to be close."
If it comes out a little over, the Selectmen could request more funding at the annual town meeting.
Selectmen Chairwoman Debra LeFave thanked Canales and Williams for their hard work and to the voters for coming out to pass the article. "The Police Department is a wonderful thing but the ADA compliance is going to save us a lot of money."
Prior to the special town meeting, the Selectmen held its regular meeting at which it approved the annual licenses for the Mountain View Restaurant, Golden Eagle Restaurant, the Cross Road Variety store and Ken Larabee's used-car sales.
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