When residents spoke in favor of a plan to renovate the police department during New Ipswich’s Deliberative Session on Tuesday, they were met with applause.
No one spoke against the plan to purchase the department’s current building, renovate the interior and put on an addition with a garage and holding area with cells. The total cost of the project is $1.2 million, $700,000 of which will be paid for with a 10-year bond and $500,000 to come from the undesignated fund balance.
The police moved to their current location in 2008, as a stop-gap measure, but the space was never adequate, Police Chief Tim Carpenter said.
“The space requirements aren’t even close to being met,” he said. “It’s gotten to the point it’s not a workable situation.”
Carpenter outlined some of the problems with the department, including not enough space for seperate interview rooms, a single entrance and exit, and an inadequate room for detaining arrestees, where they are handcuffed to a bench within a couple of feet of an officer workspace.
“It’s an officer safety situation, and it’s a citizen safety situation,” he said.
While residents asked questions about the available fund balance and what other bonds the town is currently paying off – only one, the bond for capping the landfill, due to expire in 2023 – no one raised any objections to the plan.
New Ipswich resident Bill May, a former Townsend police chief, who was involved in the construction of their police department, said the article would have his vote.
“I fully support this measure and what you’re doing,” he said, which was greeted by a round of applause from the audience.
Other big-ticket items on the warrant, including the proposed $3.44 million budget, got little discussion. Other than an explanation of the budget by the Select Board, there were no comments on it.
The voters also had little to say on requests for a total of $600,000 to continue road maintenance and repaving. Selectman David Lage told voters the funds were earmarked for work to be done on Appleton Road, Ken Street, Gibbs Avenue, adding a topcoat and finishing work on Timbertop Road and adding a topcoat to Lower Ashby Road.
In addition to the funds raised by the town, there is also an article to accept state funds from the state in the form of a Department Transportation Block Grant for $150,000.
There were several amendments made to articles on the warrant.
One article, which requested $40,000 to support the New Ipswich Public Library, was not supported by either the Select Board or the Budget Committee, drawing questions from the crowd as to why not.
Select Board Chair David Lage said the request had been increasing over the last several years, and the board felt the library should use more of its endowment. The board and budget committee had offered compromise numbers, as close to the initial request as $37,500, but the Library Trustees had maintained their initial request.
“The negotiation wasn’t there,” Selectman John Veeser said.
Library Trustee Barbara Graham reminded voters that the warrant article is an “all or nothing” proposition, and if it doesn’t pass, the library will struggle to continue operations as it has been.
Resident Marcia Ober moved to amend the article to $37,500, asking if that would change the board’s votes of recommendation. The Select Board agreed they would. Following the motion passing, the three members of the Budget Committee who were present also agreed to change their votes to unanimously recommend the article.
Voters also agreed to increase the funds contributed to the fire department protection equipment capital reserve from $12,000 to $20,000. Fire Chief Meredith Lund explained that the department’s air packs are 12 years old, and only have a useful life of 15 years before they have to be replaced. She moved to increase the funding for the capital reserve in order to be closer to the final goal within the next few years.
“I’d rather plan ahead and get the money ready in advance,” she explained.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.