Committee hears police chief describe mold and plumbing emergency at Elm Street station

Members of Cohasset's Public Safety Facilities Committee were briefed June 17 on immediate health and building problems at the Elm Street police station, and several members urged rapid public notification and an official Select Board hearing on conditions.

The police chief reported that the department's union filed a grievance and that the state Department of Labor Standards has contacted the town. "We have a serious mold problem in the station," the chief said, describing documented mold, a flooded men's locker room after a plumbing failure and multiple days without functioning toilets. He added the department has pictures and is pursuing remediation; the town's preliminary plan for remediation is in place but "it's costly. It's extremely costly," staff said.

Staff and facilities representatives told the committee that some HVAC components and plumbing are aged, that the building's systems require a substantial remediation and that the town must either satisfy the state's remediation review or host a state site visit and independent air testing. Members stressed that some mitigation steps must happen immediately to protect staff and to preserve credibility in the public process about proposed capital projects.

A Select Board member proposed holding an immediate public hearing where the chief could testify so the town can make the conditions public and the committee can demonstrate urgency to voters. The committee did not authorize emergency capital spending in the meeting; instead members asked staff to bring forward the remediation plan, cost estimates and options for temporary relocation or accommodations at the next meeting and to coordinate communication with the Select Board.

The committee then returned to the Elm Street feasibility discussion and directed staff and the design team to prepare the targeted one‑story schematic and short public materials.