Dalton Police Station Panel Asks for Study
DALTON, Mass. — The Public Safety Facility Advisory Committee agrees that the current police facility, located in the basement of the Town Hall, is inadequate.
The station is in poor condition, has safety issues, and lacks the space to serve the community properly.
The committee's charge is to examine all the options for a new police station or combined public safety facility and recommend the best to the Select Board.
It is crucial that the committee explores all these options so that when it comes time to go to town meetings, their recommendations can be justified and they can answer any questions voters may have, Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said.
After touring the Williamstown Police Station and reviewing the state's requirements, the committee was confident that renovating the current station was not a good option they would ever recommend. Williamstown's force had also been stationed inside its municipal building and had similar complaints. It moved into new quarters in 2019.
"[The current station is] deplorable … the fact that it is in disarray, that there are as many problems as there is, the site itself, where you have to go get to certain other areas, it's a dungeon," Committee member Ryan Flanders said.
"I mean, there's no reason for it to look this way, feel this way, be chopped up as badly as it is. It is a problem waiting to happen."
Committee co-Chair Don Davis agreed, adding that it is a "ticking time bomb."
The Williamstown Police Station has a total square footage of 10,849, which is more than twice the size of Dalton's 4,860 square feet, Committee member Anthony Pagliarulo said.
The committee's recommendations would need to be approved at a town meeting. However, a feasibility study is needed to ensure the committee's final proposal is well-informed.
It would examine the potential locations the committee narrowed down, evaluate the options, define the requirements, and develop cost estimates.
Committee members said it may be best to allocate the funds now to streamline the process, citing the need for swift action.
Although setting a special town meeting only takes two weeks finding someone to conduct the study takes time, Strout said.
Under Massachusetts' Construction and Design Laws, co-Chair Craig Wilbur said, you must submit a request for quotation for an architect's services.
"A board is then put together to evaluate those RFQs, and then from there, a negotiation of fee takes place and then finally, an award. That can take up to 10 to 12 weeks to do," he said.
The committee will present its request for a town meeting to allocate funds for a feasibility study at a future Select Board meeting. How much it will be requesting is yet to be determined.
In June, Police Chief Deanna Strout highlighted several issues in the police station, including plumbing, mold, ventilation, mice, water damage, heating, and cell damage.
She said the location is not a viable option for the long term. The town has been working to alleviate these issues until a long-term solution is established.
Davis highlighted how, during the previous meeting, Sgt. Geoff Powell, the department's union president, said how "everybody's chilled on ice right now." As long as they see the town moving forward, they are still willing to be a part of the force.
Retention is a significant concern because of the condition of the station, Strout said.
"I hear that often from both unions, because we have two unions in our department. They're amazing humans, all of them, and they are very appreciative of all the work that this committee is doing, but I will say that at the first sense of a dropped ball, not from the committee, but from the town, we're going to be in trouble," Strout said.
"I put that out there clearly to the town manager that everything needs to move as quickly as it can, because we are literally hanging on by a thread down there. It's not safe for anybody. It's not safe for detainees. It's not safe for the officers to be working in there."
"They're being extremely patient and gracious, and I just want that to be recognized and appreciated for the conditions that we've been in for a long time. I've been there almost 27 years, and shame on the chiefs before me that didn't bring this up."
Committee members demonstrated the need for civic engagement and tossed ideas around doing that, including public tours, making a video of the current station, and creating social media pages.
Pagliarulo said he was embarrassed when he toured the station.
"I've been a taxpayer. We all have been. We've paid good money. I'm proud of our police force. Thank you, Chief Strout, for bringing this to our attention," he said.
"We're going to engage the civic and ask them to reach into their pocket. They've got to see it."
Taxpayers have to see the condition of the building because the need becomes apparent in those tours, Pagliarulo said.
Attendee Robert Collins said they should emphasize what it means for a station to be accredited and why the town needs to become accredited.
The department has not been able to gain accreditation because of the building's condition. Although it can function, new laws require all police stations to become accredited.
However, this is an unfunded mandate and there is no deadline. Strout said Great Barrington is the only accredited department in Berkshire County so far, but eventually, all departments will need to become accredited. All the other stations, including Dalton, are self-assessed.
"Accreditation basically builds confidence in our community that we're engaging in best practices, that our policies are up to date," Strout said.
"So, say we were to get a lawsuit from someone we dealt with. Being accredited, we can already tell you that we're engaging in best practices."
Davis said several people involved in creating a public safety building have recommended to him the need to be forward-thinking and ensure that the space meets its current needs and those that will arise in 50 to 75 years.
He and attendee Thomas Irwin also highlighted how waiting to build a new facility will cost the taxpayers more.
Irwin said the inflation rate is roughly $100 per square foot a year, so delaying a 15,000-square-foot building for a year would cost an additional $1.5 million.
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