DALTON, Mass. — The town's Public Safety Facility Advisory Committee held its first meeting on last Wednesday. 

 

The committee voted to have two co-chairs and elected Don Davis and Craig Wilbur for the positions. 

 

The committee will be examining all the options for a new police station or combined public safety facility. The goal is to have a recommendation for the Select Board by a year from December. 

 

"The Public Safety Facility Advisory Committee shall examine all issues regarding the proposal for a new police station, including the potential for a new building to house the fire station and the emergency management director," Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said. 

 

He also emphasized not to feel limited in this scope. 

 

"Issues include, but may not be limited to, whether and where to lease, buy or take property or to use existing town property, including whether to build a new building," he said 

 

The ex-officio seats are Bob Bishop as the Select Board representative, Police Chief Deanna Strout, Hutcheson, and Building and Grounds Superintendent Jeff Burch. 

 

During Wednesday's meeting, Sgt. Geoff Powell stood in for Strout. Also present were the police station's Communications Director Gabrielle Taglieri, Executive Assistant Rebecca Whitaker, Camillus B. Cachat Jr. representing the Board of Water Commissioners and resident Robert Collins.

 

The committee has decided its next course of action is to schedule a tour for the members to inspect the Williamstown Police Station and the Dalton Police Station.

 

Another topic that the committee needs to consider is researching potential grant funding sources, Davis said. 

 

Committee member Tony Pagliarulo said he does not see the committee recommending that the town consider constructing a combined public safety facility for the Police and Fire Departments because the Fire District is exploring purchasing the Dalton Garage.

 

The district's members toured the building and is further ahead in the process than the town, so he said a combined complex is not worth exploring. 

 

"The Dalton Fire Department is looking into [that as] an option. It may or may not go forward. It may or may not get taxpayer approval. This committee is supposed to look at all the options, assess them, and provide a recommendation to the Select Board," Hutcheson said. 

 

"And if in a year and a half that's fallen through, we may find out that there are options for combining public safety within the town that makes sense. That's one of the jobs of this committee is to see whether or not that makes sense." 

 

Cachat said it is very unlikely that the district will purchase Dalton Garage because of the high cost of the facility. However, it is up to the voters. 

 

During last month's Board of Water Commissioners meeting, Thomas Irwin, a town Finance Committee member and engineer, proposed three options the district can consider to address the fire and water department's need for more space. 

 

The options where to renovate the current fire station, purchase and modify the Dalton Garage, or renovate and build an addition to the Dalton Garage.

 

Some of the advisory committee members agreed to attend the next Board of Water Commissioners meeting on July 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fire Station. 

 

During the meeting, Powell, who is also the department's union president, said a year from December is too far away just to make a recommendation, especially since the bidding process, site visits, and other steps needed before starting construction take a long time. 

 

"To me, that seems really, really far away. As the union president who's sitting on their hands, and you're all going to read the health study that's far away," Powell said.

 

A year is not a long time considering the number of things that need to be considered to get a project like this off the ground effectively, Wilbur said. 

 

"I'll just say from my experience as an owner's project manager doing this work, these projects don't come out of the ground in a day. Three to five years is an average turnaround for a completed project in this commonwealth. It all depends on money, voter support, and finding the right property," he said. 

 

The town wants to be able to go to voters and explain to them how they have considered every option and demonstrate to them the best option, Hutcheson said. 

 

However, if the committee develops a recommendation before the deadline, it can present it to the board at that time, he said. 

 

The committee was provided with a list of town lands, the Department of Public Health's preliminary and final air quality report on the police station, and a report on the police station's working conditions from the Department of Labor Standards. 

 

Wilbur also urged the need for a space-needs study of the police station done by an architect and a needs assessment, including square footage requirements. 

 

"A year ago, maybe, a town meeting passed some funding for a space needs study. It would be somewhat limited, but I've also been working on drafting a scope of services for that with an emphasis on the police department space," Hutcheson said.