Freetown to take proposed new police station to ballot vote

Residents voted Wednesday at a Special Town Meeting to take the proposal for a new police station to special ballot vote.

FREETOWN — Residents voted Wednesday at a Special Town Meeting to take the proposal for a new police station to special ballot vote.

Plans for building a new police station have been underway for the past two years. “This is about being able to provide a safer and more efficient station for our department and our townspeople,” said Selectman Lisa Pacheco.

The current one-story, 3,000-square-foot station, built in the late 1970s, is undersized and has an assortment of structural flaws and safety issues that prevent any real renovation or expansion.

Much of the building is below grade and is prone to moisture issues and water damage on damp days. Storage for equipment, evidence, and supplies is severely limited. The building’s detention area and holding cells are cramped and riddled with safety violations cited by the state’s Department of Health. Many areas of the station are used for multiple purposes not compliant with regulations; an example is the breakroom being used for weapons cleaning and evidence processing. In addition, much of the station’s audio and telecommunications equipment is antiquated and insufficient for the town’s topography.

“This is a project that’s very near and dear to my heart,” said Andy Digiammo, Project Architect for Compass Group Architecture, which designed the plans for the new station. Digiammo is also a resident of Freetown.

The site chosen for the new facility, located on the corner of Memorial Drive and Chace Road, will be two stories and 17,297 square feet in size, with the option for future expansion by including close to 8,700 square feet of finished attic space.

The ground level, with entrance from Memorial Drive, will be for the public and will house all program functions of the station. The upper level, with entrance from Chace Road, will be for personnel, and will have a garage for police cruisers, as well as all necessary storage space for equipment, weapons, archives, and evidence.

The design also calls for a large training and operating center that will also be able to house meetings by town governing boards and other organizations. In addition, the new station will receive overdue equipment upgrades, including a new 180-foot tall telecommunications tower.

While there was unanimous sentiment from both residents and officials that a new police station was needed for the town, there was debate over how it should be funded. Hard estimates have the total cost for the new station to be $12,378,602 dollars. This amount would be offset from funds coming from the town’s reserve funds, such as free cash, overlay surplus and capital stabilization.

With the designated surplus funds factored in, the intention is to fund $6.5 million of the project cost through a 2.5 percent 20-year debt exclusion. At a declining rate over 20 years, residents would pay between $121.84 and $70.40 annually.

Ultimately, a near-unanimous vote was taken in favor of funding the police station through a debt exclusion.

The article will go for a special vote on Dec. 1.