Clarksburg Police Station Open for Business
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| Augustine 'Gus' Jammalo stand next his painting of former town officers Mary Baker and Earl Taylor. |
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Augustine "Gus" Jammalo was impressed with the transformation of Town Hall's ground floor but seemed a little embarrassed to find his artworks had been made a focal point.
"I didn't expect they were going to place those so prominently," he said, looking up at his painting of longtime Town Clerk Mary Baker and Treasurer Earl Taylor on Wednesday night. "I can't believe how nice it is [in here]."
Jammalo, who donated that and another of his paintings to the town, was one of several dozen residents who wandered through the new ground-floor police station at an open house Wednesday night, looking into offices, peering behind doors and marveling at the changes. "Everyone seems to love it," said Selectmen Chairwoman Debra LeFave.
"I remember when this was a school," said Brenda, who toured the station with her daughter Brianna. Brenda, who asked her last name not be used, said her brother used to attend the former Briggsville School. "I can't believe what it looks like now."
 Officer Kerry Columbus and Chief Michael Williams in the new police station reception area |
The appropriately painted blue police station was created out of a open area used for town meetings and elections, which are now held at the school and the Senior Center, respectively. It replaces the dark, cramped, leaking office used by Police Chief Michael Williams and his officers.
The old space didn't afford privacy or storage — it barely had room to move around. In contrast, the new chief's office is spacious with two windows looking out on the back parking lot. There's also a large office/work area, a conference room, reception desk, storage area and private interview room.
"It feels very professional," said a beaming Williams as he surveyed his new domain. "Since we've moved in it's working out quite well working with the public."
The renovation was made possible through a state matching grant. The town had about $80,000 to revamp the space and enough left over to help furnish it. The force had hoped to move back in July but details and delays prevented them from using the space until September.
It really wasn't finished until 15 minutes before the 5 p.m. open house, Williams joked. "Debbie [Choquette] was still decorating."
The walls are pale blue and cream; the floors covered in blue carpeting and linoleum. A bench sits near the reception are and autumn decorations are scattered about.
Baker and Taylor's portrait looks over the new reception desk; on the opposite wall hangs a black and white photo of the pair. Around the corner, Jammalo's rendering of well-known farmer Ken Demers riding his tractor is the first thing you see coming through the back door — now the main entrance to Town Hall.
 Above, the old Clarksburg police station; below, the new |
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The bits of town history — paintings, photos, a quilt made by a sixth-grade class — are a reminder that the renovation wasn't just to make room for the police force. The new entrance and meeting rooms also make the town compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Acts and offers easier access to the River Road building.
And it was the decision to move Choquette, the office administrator, down to the ground floor that reoriented Town Hall. Residents won't have to walk up two flights now to speak with her; Choquette also can direct people to the right office upstairs or call someone down to help them.
She said it's already been appreciated by several residents who have trouble making it up the stairs. "People are starting to realize the entrance is in the back."
Williams said residents also seem to be more willing to stop and speak with him or the other officers.
"It will make my job easier," he said. "It's not like we have to arrange someplace to talk privately. We have room to do the work — and now my office is not a storage room anymore."
"Everyone who comes in really raves about the place."
