Selectmen recommend $200,000 for police station fund after split vote

Chair Andy called for a recommendation on Article 21, a proposal to deposit $200,000 into a police station capital reserve fund, and the board debated the size and timing of the appropriation before recommending it by voice vote, 4–1.

The discussion focused on safety, insurance exposure and the next steps needed to determine a final build cost. An unidentified board member summarized the multi‑phase approach the board has followed: "The 1st phase was to put a committee together and come up with some potential locations and some ideas…and then the next step was…to get some monies together, which we need this article for, to get contractors and all the surveys done." The police chief warned the board of insurance liabilities noted in a previous audit: "In 2019, there was an audit done and it resulted in a 33‑page document of problems and liabilities…if no progress is done there could be a possibility that PrimeX would not cover an insurance claim."

Resident Bob, speaking from Thompson Street, urged action on safety grounds: "The building…[is] unsafe for our officers, unsafe for the people that they may have to detain." Opposing the $200,000 figure, one selectman said, "I just think that the 200,000 is too much," and moved to reduce the warrant article to $100,000; that motion failed to secure the board's direction and the motion to recommend $200,000 was seconded and approved 4–1.

The board recorded the recommendation as a next step in a multi‑phase project rather than a commitment to construction; members said the funds would be used for design, soil and other studies that make the town eligible for future grants. The selectmen noted the design phase and grant readiness are prerequisites for larger funding requests and emphasized the need to identify sustainable revenue sources before construction.

The recommendation will appear on the warrant; voters will decide the final appropriation at the scheduled town vote.