Skyline Eyed for Permanent Lanesborough Police Station SiteBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:08AM / Thursday, July 21, 2022 | |
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The town's temporary police station at 545 South Main St. should be operational in early August and the Police Station Building Committee is looking into the former Skyline Country Club as a potential site for the future headquarters.
In June, the Selectmen approved the use of $65,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds and a two-year lease for the space, which reportedly needed only minor technical and security work.
Police Chief Robert Derksen said Aug. 1 opening is a moving target, as there has been some delay with getting internet and phone. He plans to host an open house for the station in late August.
Station building committee Chair Kristen Tool endorsed the space, saying it "looks really nice." She also reported that she reached out to local photographers to get headshots of the Lanesborough officers to hang in the entryway.
Members of the committee recently had a property visit to the Skyline that is owned by Mill Town Capital. They looked at the upper clubhouse and driving range area, which are technically two parcels.
Town Administrator Josh Lang will be continuing the financial conversation about the property.
"So that was a good first step — on-site visits," Tool said to the committee.
Last week, the Board of Selectmen gave the panel the authority to look for other potential sites for the new police station. It was also given permission to consider adding the town's ambulance services to the plan.
This could allow for new grant opportunities.
The town's EMS Director and Capt. Jennifer Weber attended the meeting to give a sense of what the emergency responders would need.
She said there is a lot of ability to share spaces that are already in the plan such as locker rooms and showers. EMS would need heated garage space, a couple of offices, a bunk room, and access to the community room.
"The Fire Department in itself is outgrowing the space they're in now, so it would also provide more longevity for the Fire Department to stay where they are just by removing us," Weber explained, as the department shares spaces with the town's volunteer fire department.
In early June, the committee decided not to endorse 8 Prospect St., the site of the current police station, as a potential location for the new one.
Members had discussed several potential issues including its size, location, required soil research, and a lack of parking. In April, the committee also discovered the deed for 8 Prospect has a restriction requiring the town to maintain the parcel as a public park.
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