DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board voted to postpone consideration of the Old Dalton High lot for the proposed public safety facility assessment until after the annual town meeting.

 

In a split decision, with three members in favor and two against, the town's architect for the project, Brian Humes, principal of Jacunski Humes Architects LLC in Berlin, Conn., will need to pause work on the assessment for now. 

 

During a joint Public Safety Facility Committee and Select Board meeting on Wednesday, more than a dozen residents attended, some voicing their concerns with the prospect of having a police station on that parcel. 

 

During a previous joint meeting in April, Humes demonstrated that out of the four sites the town hired him to assess, the old Dalton High Lot was the most viable. 

 

Craig Wilbur, co-chair of the public safety advisory committee, clarified that the First Street property is not the definitive site for the new public safety facility. 

 

Rather, the First Street property is a sample test fit site for a new public safety building. The committee is in the early stages of a comprehensive evaluation process.

 

No final decisions have been made, and the committee and board agree that public input is integral to the process. 

 

Following a space needs assessment of the department, Humes recommended a one-story building of 13,350 gross square feet. This size was determined to meet future growth and accreditation requirements. Additionally, a 1,800-square-foot outbuilding is also recommended.

 

"The very rough high-end estimate" for a facility of this size is, at this juncture, $15 million, and that includes hard and soft costs without the purchase of land, committee member Tony Pagliarulo said. 

 

Based on Pagliarulo's calculations that have been reviewed by a former Finance Committee chair, "for the average single-family home assessed at $338,000, property taxes would increase $412 a year, a 1.2 percent increase." 

 

The committee is drafting a survey to gather feedback from the community, which is anticipated to include questions about their support or opposition to the facility, opinions on proposed features, and voters' willingness to support the facility based on the estimated cost and potential tax increase. 

 

It may also explore priorities regarding tax increases versus postponing the facility, as well as the additional information people would like to receive.

 

The parcel on First Street is a viable option as it's the only site that's town-controlled and has the right size, said select board vice chair Dan Esko.

 

"I don't think we should write this site off. It's the only town-owned site. I think it's very viable on a number of levels. Certainly, we want to have more public input, but I'd like to support moving forward with studying the site further and making it the test site for the feasibility study," he said. 

 

Board member John Boyle added that "nobody here wants to see this drag out forever. We're trying to avoid that. We're not trying to overlook any problems, but we want to expedite it." 

 

Boyle advocated for the continued study and testing of the parcel but emphasized that nothing is concrete yet. 

 

"The lot was designated in 2017 for home building so, this isn't actually a viable lot for anything other than what we voted for in 2017," one resident said. 

 

"So, the town does own this property, but it's already been designated for another purpose so that's where I'm a little confused why you're voting on this purpose when it's designated for something else right now." 

 

Select Board member Robert Collins said he has received several phone calls from residents and did not feel comfortable making a decision on the parcel until the wishes of Dalton residents are known. 

 

A decision on whether to update the zoning of the lot will be made by voters at the annual town meeting on Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. at Wahconah Regional High School.

 

Article 13, if approved, would rescind the vote taken on May 1, 2017, designating the former high school lot for housing. 

 

The approval of this item would allow the town to use the lot for something other than housing, including considering the property for a municipal facility. Since this changes a prior vote, it requires a two-thirds vote to pass. 

 

One concern about changing the lot designation is that if the police station fails, the lot could be converted into something else, such as a large parking lot. 

 

Resident Michael Hopper recommended that the town change the article to say if the proposed police station does not pass, then the parcel reverts back to its original intent for housing. 

 

During the joint meeting, residents voiced several concerns about a police facility in that location, including financial risks and its impact on the dense neighborhood, such as increased traffic and safety concerns for young children.

 

Some of these concerns from residents were predicted by Humes' because of his previous experience on projects like this. 

 

One obstacle the town would have to navigate if it were to build a police station in that area is the inaccurate perception that residential areas have when a police station is proposed for their area, such as perceived disruption and increased traffic and activity, Humes said. 

 

Based on his previous experiences with similar projects, police facilities can be good neighbors, he said at prior committee meetings.

 

He demonstrated that, unlike other emergency facilities, calls are not answered directly by the police station, and the level of activity at the building is not as high as most residents believe.

 

In fact, police facilities can provide a "security blanket" for neighborhoods, potentially reducing crime in the area, he said.