Swampscott selectmen hear arguments for new police station

SWAMSPCOTT – A new police station was the main topic of conversation at the Board of Selectmen meeting Tuesday evening.The Capital Improvement Committee told the selectmen a new police station is needed and the committee is recommending asking Town Meeting to approve borrowing money to design a new police station.Capital Improvements Committee Chairman Cindy Merkle said the committee has looked at funding requests from the police department for capital improvements for the existing facility and looked at previous studies, some of which date back to 1997, for a new station.She said the committee decided it is in the best interest of the town to go forward with the design process to build a new police station at the town-owned pumping station on Humphrey Street.Joe Markarian, who is on the Capital Improvements Committee, said the estimated cost for a new station is $6.5 million and the committee believes it would cost $450,000 to design the new station. He said the town could borrow the funds for the design and it could be repaid using proceeds from the sale of the former Phillips Avenue fire station and former senior center.Selectman Anthony Scibelli questioned whether now is the right time to ask the town to borrow $450,000 to design a new police station.Merkle said if the town does not proceed with the design phase for a new station the Capital Improvements Committee would have to recommend borrowing money to retrofit the existing facility so much needed repairs could be made. She pointed out the holding cells are in such disrepair the town could be told to stop utilizing them at some point.In earlier interviews, Police Chief Ronald Madigan said the existing police station is a public safety nightmare. The police station was built in 1938 and other than a small addition to the rear of the building there have been no changes or upgrades. According to Madigan, the holding cells, which are used to house up to 450 prisoners a year, are obsolete. He said when prisoners are brought into the station they have to been taken through areas open to the public and escorted down two flights of narrow stairs to the cells. He said an officer was out for eight months with an injury he received struggling with a prisoner on the stairs leading to cells.Markarian said the committee believes a station is needed.”We have to bite the bullet,” Markarian said. “And decide if we need a new police station or not.”Markarian added the committee believes proceeds from the sale of the former Temple Israel property and former middle school on Greenwood Avenue should be used to help pay for construction of a new police station.Town Administrator Andrew Maylor added $1.7 million used to purchase the former Temple Israel property was money the town originally appropriated to retrofit the existing police station.Even though the Capital Improvements Committee is recommending funding the design of a new police station, Town meeting approval is required to borrow the money.