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Hollis board debates $29M–$41M public-safety facility study and whether to list it on the CIP
Summary
Select Board members and the Budget Committee reviewed a consultant study estimating $29 million–$41 million (plus land) for a new police/fire facility, discussed phasing options and the timing of listing the project on the town's Capital Improvement Plan for transparency.
Select Board members and Budget Committee representatives on March 9 discussed a consultant study that estimated a new public-safety facility — covering police and fire needs — would cost roughly $29,000,000 to $41,000,000 in construction costs plus land acquisition. Budget Committee member Tom, speaking for the Budcom, proposed phasing to soften near-term debt: $1.5 million for land acquisition next year, a $25 million fire-station phase about five years later, and the remaining funds for a police phase 10–11 years after land purchase.
"Bringing those numbers in, onto the official spreadsheet, is what I believe is being asked," Tom said as the Budget Committee urged the board to show the study numbers on the CIP. Select Board members said they support transparency but emphasized that the board has not taken a formal position and that the slides shown at town meeting should make clear the project is only a potential future investment.
Board members debated whether to push the project farther out to reduce the impact on the town’s near-term debt peak. One board member noted that the study focused primarily on building a new facility and did not fully analyze renovating or combining existing buildings. A staff member who helped arrange the study said the report included three options, including renovation scenarios, but that lot sizes and site constraints make renovation difficult in the town’s existing parcels.
The board did not take a binding vote on project scope or timing. Members asked that the draft slide deck be revised to show the study as a placeholder and to include caveats about timing and uncertainty. The discussion also flagged land availability and rising construction costs as variables that could significantly affect any final plan.
Next steps: the Budget Committee will work with staff to finalize scenarios for the CIP slides, and the Select Board will decide at or before town meeting whether to present a phased placeholder on the official CIP.
