NAHANT — The Town is continuing to research the feasibility of a public-safety building, which could entail creating a combined space that houses both the police and fire stations.
Town Administrator Alison Nieto gave an update on the Town’s progress with the project.
“We issued a Request for Proposal for a public-safety building feasibility study. We got four responses, but once we went through the rating process, Context Architecture came out on top, and we awarded the contract to them,” Nieto said.
Nieto continued that the Town has been working with the company since October. The company started by conducting a space-needs analysis and inspecting both the police and fire stations.
“We walked through the current police station and fire station. The company was able to see how they’re currently set up… Both are in desperate need of renovation. Whether that’s renovating the existing buildings, building new ones for each of them, or combining them into one public safety building, that’s what this feasibility study is supposed to determine,” she said.
She said the holding cells in the police station are non-compliant with state regulations, adding that the space is not sufficient for the amount of staff the Town has employed.
She added, “That’s what we’re working through right now. Based on this needs analysis, the company walks through the sites to see what we currently have, and then they see what the industry standard is like for fire engine bays or parking for police cruisers.”
Nieto noted that several sites for potential new buildings were looked at during this process. These included a site next to the Department of Public Works building, the area behind the current police station, the area around the Nahant Country Club, and the existing fire station, though she mentioned the fire station is located in a flood zone.
“Now we’re working to see where, logistically, the Town would want either station to be, or a combined building. That’s where we’re at now,” she said.
She reiterated that the goal of the feasibility study was to have a plan going forward by the end of the analysis stage. She also expressed that the matter would have to be presented at Town Meeting before any decisions were finalized.
“I think that this is a really important process that we’re going through. Both Fire Chief Austin Antrim and Police Chief Timothy Furlong have been very much involved… During the space needs analysis, staff was there to answer questions and do the walkthroughs with Context Architecture. It’s become a lot of work for each party,” she said.
Neither Antrim nor Furlong could be reached for comment.
