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Council reviews new police station design; members ask about square footage, visibility and public outreach
Summary
Councilors and residents discussed a fresh design for the city’s planned Public Safety Building, focusing on layout changes, the sally port and ambulance access, concerns about apparent increases in square footage, and how to share plans with the public.
The Caribou City Council reviewed a revised design for a proposed Public Safety Building on Jan. 13 and raised questions about internal layout changes, the building’s apparent larger footprint and how the city should communicate design progress to residents.
Penny Thompson, the city manager, and members of the Public Safety Building Committee presented an updated floor plan prepared after committee feedback. “When someone comes in the vestibule, they’ll go into the secured lobby and then they can take a right down the hallway…away from the secured police area,” Thompson said as she described the floor plan and noted the continued inclusion of a two-vehicle sally port sized to allow ambulance access.
Councilors praised clearer circulation and workflow in the latest rendering but pressed staff for clarification about a reported change in total square footage. Councilor Watson said he tallied room-size changes that suggested the building could be roughly 800 square feet larger than the previously approved plan and asked staff to re-check the figure. “I think we really need to go back and challenge that square footage and make sure that it’s accurate,” he said.
Several councilors and members of the public urged more proactive public outreach about the project. One resident suggested posting an easy-to-find project snapshot on Facebook so people who do not regularly use the city’s website can see the design. Councilor Bagley and others noted the city already posts materials on the municipal website and that some committees may be uncomfortable using social platforms with open comment threads, but the group agreed to consider additional public-friendly visual updates.
Separately, Councilor Smith reported that the selection of the architecture and design team had been checked with references. A reference from Augusta’s city manager, who previously worked with the firm Artifex, described strong experience with police facilities and praised individual architects involved in the design.
Councilors did not vote on the plan at the meeting. Staff said the next formal council vote likely will occur after bids are solicited and returned; council approval is required to accept a construction bid when it comes back.
