Letter: Dalton Public Safety Facility

To the Editor:

To the Dalton Select Board, I would like to present a practical suggestion for the new Dalton Police Facility as follows:

• Purchase the bank building located on the corner of Main Street and South Carson Avenue. Extend the building toward Main Street. Then buildout the interior to accommodate the town offices. The offices would then be accessible to the handicapped.
• Stage the moving of the town offices to facilitate the renovation of the Town Hall for the new police facility. To minimize disruption and inconvenience.
• I know that Hill Engineering put together a cost estimate to fix the problems in the basement of the town hall. I recall it was very reasonable.
• Add an elevator in the Town Hall for to accommodate handicapped individuals.

I believe the above suggestions would cost considerably less that what has been proposed. If planned out properly it would be a lot less disruptive. It would satisfy the needs for a new police facility.

Comments:

• Abandon the idea of putting the police station behind the Senior Center. The residents have spoken out twice. They do not want it in their neighborhood.
• The taxpayers, especially the seniors are now at a breaking point. They cannot afford an increase in their tax bill to pay for $10-plus-million police station.
• End your relationship with the engineering firm that was hired. They have proven to be incompetent and just a waste of Town money. They have demonstrated that are not sensitive to the residents of Dalton. IE: Why would
• they even think that the residents would be receptive to building the new police station on the Old Dalton High lot?
• You have two perfectly capable individuals on your committee, Mr. David Martindale and Mr. Craig Wilber that could handle the transformation of the Town Hall to the new police facility. I have worked these two individuals and I know that "can't" is not in their vocabulary.

Thank you for your time and please consider my suggestions.

Bruce Lester
Dalton, Mass.

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