$27.5 million fire, police complex approved
Town Meeting 2008
BY PETER A. SUTTERS JR. INDEPENDENT WRITER
Construction of the joint public safety complex cleared another hurdle Monday night as Town Meeting voters authorized the town to borrow $27.5 million to build the project at 2 Fairgrounds Road.

ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent Town Moderator Sarah Alger sheds light on additions, deletions and omissions concerning the annual warrant as the 2008 Town Meeting got underway Monday night.

Residents overwhelmingly passed Article 11 on a voice vote, which easily obtained the needed two-thirds majority.

The final approval to borrow the funds will have to be passed by a ballot vote, with a special election scheduled for June. The ballot vote must only garner a simple majority for the measure to pass.

Nantucket Police Chief Bill Pittman and Fire Chief Mark McDougall both spoken in favor of the project, which will house both of their departments, along with the sheriff.

Selectman Michael Kopko reminded voters of the need for the facility, and how past votes had brought the town to this step. "This is the culmination of years of work," he said. "We have voted year after year to go ahead with this."

The votes Kopko was referring to were the original Town Meeting vote to purchase the property at 2 fairgrounds Road from National Grid in 2004 for $15.5 million, a vote at the 2005 Town Meeting to approve $1.8 million to begin the design phase and feasibility study for the project and a 2006 vote to allow the police station to move out of town.

Finance Committee chairman and Board of Selectmen candidate Rick Atherton stressed that it was the right time to build the facility because the competitive bidding climate, pledged funds from the county sheriff's office and the eventual sale of the old fire station on Sparks Avenue will offset the total cost to taxpayers.

The sheriff has pledged $4 million, while the sale of the existing fire station is expected to fetch $6 million to $7 million, bringing the total amount residents must pay at $17 million.

Both the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee had recommended the measure be approved.

The town is seeking a 20-year bond for the total $27.5 million to finance the project, with the sheriff's funds, as well as the money from the sale of the fire station, being used to pay off the principal on the debt.

Resident Alice McWade, who called the article for discussion, expressed concern about the cost and size of the project and asked town leaders to look at a less expensive building, but voters agreed with the article as recommended by the Finance Committee and selectmen.

"I think we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of support we got," said Kopko following the meeting. "We all did a lot of work. The designers, the administration, the board (of selectmen). I think voters realized, 'Yes, we're going to need this facility,' and there wasn't going to be a better time to do it."

Voters went against a Finance Committee recommendation when they approved Article 20, which finalized a collective bargaining agreement between Nantucket Memorial Airport and its employees. The new contract negotiated by the Airport Commission, gave employees a larger raise than other contracts agreed to between the town and various unions. Airport Commission chairman E. Foley Vaughn said the pay increase was "modest" and it would not affect the average taxpayer because airport employees are paid by the Airport's self-sustaining enterprise fund.

The final vote was 308 for and 185 against. I