Town tries again to get police HQ

It is the second attempt to win approval; voters first shot the concept down three years ago.

This retry is reminiscent of a June revote on a town library, in which Walpole officials revisited a failed tax-limit override and gained passage on the second try by a mere eight votes.

Hopes are high that voters will approve construction of a no-frills police station on 5 of 52 acres the town owns near the VFW Hall on Robbins Road, said Christopher Timson, chairman of the Board of Selectmen.

The warrant article for the 10,000-square-foot police station, which has been scaled back by more than half, also includes funds to start planning the design of a new fire station, Timson said.

The fire station would probably become a separate project and is likely to face the same battle for funding as local officials face rising costs but dwindling revenues.

Timson said both of the current public safety facilities are decrepit and need replacement. But he and other officials acknowledge that local opinion is split on the best use for available funds, as well as on the need for such facilities.

A number of residents maintain that a com bined police and fire station makes more sense than constructing two separate facilities. Some have deluged the opinion pages of local newspapers, urging that Walpole follow the lead of towns like Norwood and Foxborough, which have decided to build combined faclities because of lower construction costs.

Others, like resident Bob Gallagher, said that a tax increase to pay for a new police station is more palatable than one to pay for the new library.

“I’m not saying a library isn’t important, but what’s really important is saving lives,’’ said Gallagher. “I would go for that override. We definitely need a new police station, that’s for sure.’’

Walpole officials say they have already studied every option for combining the police and fire stations, with help from The Carell Group in Hopkinton, an architectural planning firm. Now selectmen are resolute that individual facilities make the best sense.

The Fire Department needs to maintain a downtown location for the sake of response times, Timson said. The Police Department has more flexibility, because officers are most often on the road when a call comes in, other officials said.

“Most everybody you talk to says we ought to have a new police station,’’ said Town Administrator Michael Boynton. “The need is there, and now is the time to do it, with the opportunity to build new and save considerably on construction costs. But at the end of the day, it will be a personal decision.’’

The police force has operated out of the 128-year-old former Town Hall building in the town’s center for about 30 years. There are currently 30-plus sworn law enforcement officers, of which about 20 are assigned to patrols, according to the department’s website.

The remainder include the command staff, supervisors, and detectives, along with a handful of civilian employees, from dispatch to administrative assistants.

“Some of their offices are in old jail cells,’’ Timson said. “The building was never intended for a police station, and security is key.’’

A new design would include secure areas, as well as a sally port, which is a dedicated, enclosed entrance often used to safely bring in detainees.

“The guys have done a great job keeping up the morale, especially when you go to work in a place that is just not suited for it,’’ Timson said.

He said a meeting with neighbors on Robbins Road is being planned, as are efforts to identify a new use for the current station, perhaps as senior housing or some other worthy purpose.

“That is not a building we want to let go of,’’ Timson said.

In an open letter to residents last month, selectmen estimated the cost of the new facility for the average homeowner at about $80 the first year and $50 a year for 20 years after that.

“Each and every member of the Board of Selectman is acutely aware and respectful of the sacrifices made by all during this historic recessionary crisis,’’ the officials wrote. “We are very sensitive to the demands placed on your families; these difficult times affect us all.’’

However, the selectmen added, “an unavoidable fact is that our facilities are in decline, despite the fine work to negate the inevitable. Spending good hard-earned money for expensive Band-aids with no real return is a true waste.’’

If the measure passes at a spring Town Meeting, the funding request will be placed on a June ballot, selectmen said.

Bolton can be reached at mmbolton1@verizon.net.