PEABODY — City leaders gathered at the Public Safety Building behind the current police station and next to Higgins Middle School on Tuesday morning to commemorate the unofficial halfway point of the construction project.
Mayor Ted Bettencourt was first to speak. He joked that Tuesday morning’s blue skies and 70° weather was “a whole lot better than when we did the groundbreaking ceremony (last June) when it was 120°.”
He continued, “Peabody is a vibrant, growing community, and public safety is the backbone of our city and one of the key pillars that keeps our city strong and well-prepared for the future. As I stand here looking at the great progress we have made and think about the state-of-the-art complex that will soon stand here and serve as the administrative headquarters for our Peabody Police Department, Peabody Fire Department, and our emergency services, I am thankful.”
Bettencourt said he was thankful “for the great support we have received and continue to receive for this project, from our elected officials, public safety officials, and from our residents.”
He added, “We all recognize that 21st century law enforcement demands the very latest equipment, technology, and workspace, and Peabody, I am proud to say, will soon have that.”
Bettencourt also thanked the “terrific team that we have assembled to work on this project.” He called out project manager Construction Monitoring Services (CMS), architect Tecton Architects, and the construction team at W.T. Rich Company.
Police Chief Tom Griffin was next to the podium. He noted that the mayor had already thanked many of the people he intended to. Griffin added, “to be honest with you, with Tecton, with CMS, with W.T. Rich, I couldn’t be more happy with the progress that has been made.”
Griffin continued, saying that he feels the new station will “boost morale.”
“This is very symbolic of the support that we get from the community,” Griffin said. “It’s very symbolic of what we want the community to see in us. It’s going to fit very well with the school here. We’re very proud of that. We specifically talked to the architects about that. We want to be a welcoming department. We want people to be comfortable coming to see us, coming to work with us, so we can help solve their problems.”
Griffin also said that the new building will “have a nice, big community room for use for anybody that needs it,” and “the training that we’re going to be able to do in-house is going to be unmatched anywhere else.”
Fire Chief Jay Dowling spoke next, saying that he “can’t say enough” how “unbelievable” this building will be. He added, “This is going to be great for the City of Peabody, the citizens of Peabody for their safety, and I just can’t thank everyone enough that’s here.”
Bettencourt said, “This truly is a game changer for public safety in the City of Peabody.”
“It’s an exciting moment for us. I can’t wait,” Bettencourt said. “A year from now, when we’re here cutting the ribbons, is going to be exciting, and it’s great to be able to just commemorate this moment with all of you as we honor the midpoint of this project.”
Following the speaking program, Bettencourt signed the beam behind him, which was also adorned with signatures from various City and State leaders. That beam will be part of the new building forever and permanently placed somewhere within.
Tuesday morning, the beam was ceremonially raised onto the building, although its permanent location is currently unknown. Ideally, the beam will be placed in the firing range in an exposed location so people will be able to see the signatures for years to come.
