SALEM, N.H. â A proposed $40 million police station that residents will vote on in March received nothing but positive recommendations at Saturdayâs deliberative session.
Salemâs Town Council presented warrant articles for the March 12 election, including the station, on Saturday at Salem High School to an audience of about 100 people.
Many residents who spoke agreed that the new station was long overdue and should have been approved when this project was brought forward in past years.
âI wrote a letter 20 years ago to the paper supporting it,â said Betty Gay, a former state representative from Rockingham 8, which encompassed the Salem area until 2022 but which now includes Danville due to redistricting. âThis building, Iâve been told, is to cover us for the next 50 years.â
Police Chief Joel Dolan gave a detailed presentation about the current station, which was originally built in 1966 for 14 staff members.
Dolan said reports from the engineer and construction team at the time of the construction said the original building, at approximately 3,700 square feet, was too small for the number of staff members at that time.
Over the years, the size of the structure â and the number of employees â has grown, and is now comprised of approximately 12,000 square feet, for a little more than 100 civilian and sworn-in officers.
âThis is their office space,â Dolan said, referring to the triple-wide trailer thatâs used for evidence storage and investigation space. âItâs just too cramped to conduct proper, safe, law enforcement at this time.â
Dolan also said there are serious issues with mold, poor ventilation for heating and air conditioning throughout the station, and a sally bay that can only accommodate one cruiser at a time, which makes transporting detainees dangerous.
Another issue with the lack of space is not having anywhere to put victims of crimes who might need a quiet area. Dolan said victims have to be in the same area where officers are doing their work, so that lack of privacy is also a problem.
The new station is projected to be a two-story, 40,537-square-foot building with ample space to meet the needs of a growing staff. The square footage includes a training area in the back and six bays for storage and a kennel.
As for payment, Joe Sweeney, the vice chair of the Town Council said the town would take out three, 20-year bonds. The bonds will be approximately $9 million, $15 million and $14 million each.
Over the 20-year life of the bonds, the estimated property tax increase for a house valued at $500,000 would range from $62.50 to $250 a year.
The payment does not include the $3 million that has been donated by Tuscan Village owner Joe Faro, who gave the money due to its size and the impact the village has had on the townâs police force.
The warrant article was moved to the ballot as written. It will ask voters for permission to raise and appropriate $38.6 million for a new station, as well as to authorize the Town Council to apply and accept federal, state and other aid and revenue sources for the project.
This article requires at least 60% of voters to approve it.
By Katelyn Sahagian | [email protected]
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