The Peabody City Council recently approved a $69.2 million bond order to pay for the costs of building a new police station and public safety headquarters at Allens Lane in an area adjacent to the Higgins Middle School.
Mayor Ted Bettencourt said that discussions regarding the new facility started in spring 2022, and that it is now time for Peabody to have a state-of-the-art complex to serve as an administrative headquarters for both departments and emergency management services.
“Public safety is one of the key pillars that keeps our city strong and well-prepared for the future,” Bettencourt said. “Policing and emergency services have changed significantly over the decades. 21st-century law enforcement demands the very latest equipment, technology, workspace, and training space.”
Bettencourt also said that Police and Fire Department officials were interviewed so that their needs could be assessed and addressed at the future facility.
He added that the City Council had previously put $1,150,000 aside for site testing.
Four companies that submitted proposals were interviewed, and the city ultimately chose Tecton Architects last year.
Police Chief Thomas Griffin thanked Bettencourt for his work in moving the project forward, and said that the new public safety building will be an asset to the city.
Griffin explained what makes the existing facility unsuitable for his department.
“The front doors to the building itself are very heavy, making it difficult for people to come and go,” Griffin said. “There’s no elevator in the building. Any member of the public who has difficulty on stairs and needs to visit the lower level for a meeting needs to come in the back door.”
Griffin also said that the department currently has no public bathrooms downstairs.
“If they need to use the facilities, they have to go outside and come around at the front to use the restrooms at the lobby,” Griffin said.
Griffin also cited privacy concerns for people who need to speak with officers about personal matters.
“The lobby itself does not have an interview room, so we don’t have a private area for anyone who needs to talk with an officer unless we bring them into a secure part of the department, which is not a good practice,” Griffin said. “And we deal with some very personal issues, and it’s just not a professional or comforting place to discuss these matters.
Griffin also said that the department’s sallyport is not big enough to fit an ambulance in, and that due to its deterioration it would need a major overhaul in the next five to seven years. He added that there’s not enough room for evidence, records storage, and computer services. Therefore, several officers currently have office spaces in other parts of the city.
“We are concerned about what will happen as the department’s needs continue to grow,” Griffin said.
As for what would happen to the existing building, Griffin said he hopes that the existing facility, which he said is still a “solid building,” can be turned into an office space, storage space, or something that can benefit the city for a long time.
Fire Chief John Dowling said that the new facility is significant for him, as he is also the emergency management director for the city.
“A new state-of-the-art emergency operations center… it’s going to have all the updated technology that we don’t have right now,” Dowling said. “And these days with hurricanes, terrorist attacks, who knows, it’s going to be huge for us.”
Dowling also said that the new facility will bring his department together with the Police Department, and that the existing facility for the Fire Department is too old, lacks space, and is not conducive to the department.
Councilor-at-Large Anne Manning-Martin said she agrees that there is a need for a new public safety building, but believes that it is in the wrong location.
“You need a top-notch facility that isn’t hindered with the location of being right next door to the largest middle school in the state with 1,500 students and everything that comes with it,” Manning-Martin said. “The traffic, the parking, their own emergencies, and their education. We all want to make sure the students get the best education possible… It’s a center for them to learn.”
In the end, Manning-Martin was the only councilor to vote against approving the bond order.
