Land donated for new Belmont police station

A 3.34 acre parcel on Field Lane has been donated as a site for the proposed new police station, selectmen announced this past week. It's right next to 2-plus acre lot being considered by the Municipal Facilities Committee, which was charged by selectmen with overseeing project.

There is no structure on the property that would have to be demolished or renovated. And it’s a fairly flat parcel with municipal water and sewer available, according to Town Administrator Jeanne Beaudin. In addition, because the parcel is larger there is ample space for expansion of the facility in the future, which was one of the criticisms town leaders heard about the original land they considered, she said.

The land, donated by All M, LLC, is assessed at $116,400.

“We’re looking at a $2-million estimate for the whole project, so when you look at the budget this is a huge factor,” Selectboard Chairman Brian Watterson said. “You’re eliminating spending something like $125,000 or something else on buying land — and you have that money to put into the actual building.”

Town officials have not revealed much about the donors, promising to issue a press release about All M, LLC, after Jan. 1. Watterson said the owners approached the town several months ago after hearing about the police station project.

But Watterson knows that even with the land gift there will be challenges facing the police station proposal.

Earlier this year the selectmen appointed the Municipal Facilities Committee to help identify specific solutions to town space needs. Selectboard Vice-Chairman Ron Cormier led the panel that included several longtime residents with construction experience and some town officials.

In a matter of weeks the committee brought back a recommendation: build a new police station on a new location at an estimated cost of $2 million.

The suggestion may have surprised some residents who have heard officials talk about the need for a new town hall for many years. In fact, one option mentioned during the committee’s deliberations was building a combination town hall-police station on town-owned property next to the Belmont Mill.

But explaining the committee’s recommendation, Cormier said the police department's needs are especially important right now. “We thought if we were going to have an emergency (with space) we’d rather have it at the town hall than at the police station,” he told the other selectmen.

Police Chief Vinnie Baiocchetti has no doubts that a new station is needed. Ever since he proposed the idea two years ago, Baiocchetti has been explaining that changes in police services and the rapid growth of the town call for a new, more modern facility.

For almost 10 years, the police department has operated out of a converted fire department garage. Now the force is larger — with 16 officers, the calls for service are more frequent and the current 3,700-square-foot building is severely lacking in space for interview rooms, evidence and storage, he said.

In the fall Budget Committee Chairman Ron Mitchell, who is on the Municipal Facilities Committee, told the Selectboard that he was not hearing much support for a new police station from townspeople. Only a handful of people showed up for a public hearing on the station project several months ago and for a recent tour of the current station.

However the public hearing did reveal some surprises to the selectmen and the committee members. Among the small audience — both in the hall and from an online poll — residents who were offered a choice among five possible sites seemed to prefer a larger, more expensive lot located off Route 106 on Higgins Drive.

Resident Donna Cilley said she wanted a station more centrally located than Field Lane, which is on the southern edge of town behind the U.S. Post Office off Route 106.

Other residents have asked about the town procuring a piece of land, which effectively takes it off the town’s property tax rolls. But Watterson said this week that would apply wherever a town building went up. “You can’t put the building up in the air,” he said.

Then the Selectboard learned that needed road repairs could cost the town millions of dollars over the next 20 years. Watterson said the road needs might have to move to “the top of the list” of capital projects, indicating that perhaps the police station would be set back for a while.

But now news of the gift of land has renewed enthusiasm for the new police station among town leaders, he said.

“The committee and the selectmen are pretty enthusiastic about this,” he said. “We look at this as what it is: a gift, which is wonderful for the town of Belmont.”

A special town meeting to determine whether the town will accept the Field Land property will be held Thursday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. in the Belmont Middle School cafeteria.