DALTON, Mass. — The proposed police station is eligible for a special permit in all zones except a Planned Industrial Development zone, following a public hearing and board consensus. 

 

The town has been exploring solutions to address the station's needs, forming the Public Safety Advisory Committee in July 2024 after reports highlighted the department's deteriorating condition.

 

Now more than a year into the initiative, progress seems to have stalled because of conflicting opinions on where the proposed station would go, Police Chief Deanna Strout said during previous meetings. 

 

The sticking points have been cost and location, which has had the advisory committee in gridlock for months. Several public officials have expressed their desire to have a new station constructed on town-owned land for the cost savings. 

 

However, the only land sizable to fit the facility is next to the Senior Center, but some neighbors have conveyed their disapproval for that space, which had been earmarked for affordable housing.

 

So, the committee sought guidance from the Zoning Board but left with few answers. 

 

"We wanted to have a discussion with you as a board about where you would consider this and what your thoughts as a board were specifically,"  Town Manager Eric Anderson said to the board at the Tuesday meeting. 

 

It is not in the board's governance to make recommendations on where they believe the station should go. Rather, to ensure that the zoning bylaws are being abided by, board chair Anthony Doyle said. 

 

Anderson presented a site rendering by consultant Brian Humes of Jacunski Humes Architects LLC. The design does not overlap with the portion of the Senior Center's lot reserved for housing.

 

Municipal buildings are allowed by special permit in all zones in Dalton except the PID zones, Doyle said. 

 

He outlined the board's decision-making criteria, including compliance with bylaws, suitability of the location for public convenience and welfare, potential impact on traffic congestion and pedestrian safety, and whether the project could overload public facilities such as water or sewer systems.

 

These things are explored during a public hearing, Doyle said. 

 

"We might not think it's the best location, but it's not our job. Our job is to comply with zoning. And if zoning says you can put it there, and you meet all the requirements, we will say yes," he said. 

 

The committee is in the process of developing a report showcasing the town's options to address the police station. 

 

Humes is conducting a feasibility assessment of the existing space and developing a rendering of both a one-story and a two-story station on a "fictitious" parcel that resembles the lot next to the Senior Center.