Tyngsborough’s Public Safety Building Study Committee (PSBSC) Issues Final Report

Board of Selectmen voted 5-0-0 on December 12, 2022 to Accept.

Tyngsborough- The Board of Selectmen formed the Public Safety Building Study Committee in October of 2020 to complete the following tasks as it related to exploring the need & ability of the Town to construct a new public safety building or standalone Police & Fire Stations:

The Committee shall work on the specific deliverables below:

• Compare the relative advantages, disadvantages, and associated costs of renovation/additions vs. new construction of each facility separately vs. a combined public safety facility.
• Make a final recommendation on building renovation or construction options, including a recommended location(s).
• Review and make recommendations on potential timelines and funding sources.

The Committee is further charged to seek and apply for state and/or federal funds to assist and/or to reimburse the Town in connection with any of the foregoing activities; subject to authorization from the Board of Selectmen to accept gifts, grants, or donations on behalf of the Town, and Town Meeting authorization for any additional funding requests.

The Committee met 12 times since its inception and reviewed a substantial quantity of information, commentary, and reports. All documents reviewed by the Committee are available for public consumption by visiting the PSBSC page on the Town Website here. You can view meeting minutes and committee membership at that same link.

The Committee considered the following aspects of this project:

• Current operations and projected future operations of each department
• Size needs (assisted by professional reports compiled by Tecton Architects)
• Location
  • Location within the Town
  • Specific site options
• Costs of standalone facilities vs. costs of a combined facility
• Facilities of similar size in neighboring communities & their costs
• Potential cost savings associated with forming a new regional 911 communications center or joining an existing regional center
  • Included exploring state funding available for these efforts & meeting with two (2) existing regional communications centers to understand how they work and how their respective member communities have received the regionalized 911 program.

In May of 2022, Town Meeting Authorized a substantial debt exclusion for the construction of a new Middle School. This debt exclusion shifted the financial situation of the Town in terms of whether or not the Town could afford the construction of a new public safety building at the same time it was funding the new middle school. The Committee felt that the appropriate next steps were for the Board of Selectmen to identify one or two locations that fit the needs of the Police & Fire Departments and to begin negotiating the acquisition of one of those sites. The Committee felt that this would put the Town in the best position to be ready to fund part or all of this project when the financial circumstances allowed.

The report and all of its findings and recommendations can be read in its entirety here. It was presented to the Board of Selectmen at their meeting on December 12, 2022 and accepted unanimously. The Board of Selectmen will now work with the Town Administrator to follow up on the report’s recommendations.