1997-02-11 Board of Selectmen Minutes

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Board of Selectmen Meeting February 11, 1997 The meeting -vas convened at 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts. Present were Chairman George Hines, Selectmen Sally Hoyt and Dan Ensminger, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner and the following list of interested parties: Bob Silva, Betty Cronin, William Lavoie, Joe Gatto, Arthur Reynolds, Jr., Margaret Landry, Carol Nelson, Frank Maggio, Jim Sharkey, Pat Sharkey, Sharon Kelley-Parrella, Bill Bogaert, Eugenia Zangas, Nancy Eaton, Philip LeBlanc, Richard Munroe, Susanne Martin, Don Cowan, Betty Dewis, Agnes Donovan, Ms. Dew. Discussion/Action Items Police Station Siting Issues - The Chairman noted that this a single Agenda item meeting - the siting of the Police Station. He indicated that the Town would make a brief presentation, and we would expect to complete the business of this meeting by 9:30 p.m. Hines reviewed the decision-making process that the Board of Selectmen has used. The Board unanimously feels that the Police Station should be in the Downtown area of Reading. Three sites were reviewed including the Union Street parking lot plus additional property,the existing station plus the additional property to the east and the existing station plus the existing property to the south. The only available property on a friendly taking basis is the property to the south. The Board had previously committed to having a public meeting prior to making a final decision on the Police Station. Ultimately, Town Meeting will make the decision. The Town Manager reviewed the process. He noted that initially the property adjacent to the station to the east, the Molyneaux property, was thought to be available for expansion and renovation of the Police Station based on discussion with the owner. Funding was provided in 1997 budget to hire an architect to do schematic designs for the expansion of the Police Station onto that property. A Police Station Building Committee was formed and they worked with the architect on two issues: what is the necessary building program to satisfy the needs of the department - 19,200 square feet; how could that be designed schematically to provide for the addition to and renovation of the existing station. When it became clear that the adjacent property would not be available for that purpose, the Building Committee looked at alternative locations. Locations evaluated included Oakland Road across from the High School; the former RMLD site on Haven Street; the former Cerretani's site on Goodall Sanford Road; the landfill site; a site on Salem Street, the existing station plus the Molyneaux property; the existing station plus the Russell property and use of the Union Street parking lot plus adjacent property. At the same time, there was considerable input from the neighbors to the sites being considered, from the Downtown Steering Committee, from the Chamber of Commerce and from the Police Station Building Committee. The process has been very inclusive.