The Town is reviewing the conditions of all its buildings and in particular the police station, both fire stations, the DPW Highway facility, the Peter Fitzpatrick School, and Town Hall. There is extensive deferred maintenance in each location and determining whether to repair, renovate, or replace these properties will require effort and advice from across the community.
Town Meeting approved a Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusion to fund the project, estimated to cost $37.235 million. State law requires approval by both Town Meeting and in a ballot referendum. Approval will allow the town to temporarily increase taxes to cover the debt it would incur as a result of the project. It is projected that the tax rate will increase by $1.16 per $1,000 of valuation.
The Pepperell Building Committee was formed in early 2020. Following a comprehensive review, the Committee identified that the Police and Fire Departments and Patriot Regional Emergency Communications Center work out of facilities that have numerous structural and functional deficiencies. Pepperell Police and Patriot RECC are headquartered at the former Shattuck School, which was built in 1895.
Committee members set goals of developing a cost-effective proposal that met established community needs, improves service levels, and is environmentally sustainable.
The committee, working with its architect and project manager, has identified a site on Jersey Street near the existing fire substation as the site of a potential new facility shared among the Pepperell Police and Fire Departments and Patriot Regional Emergency Communications Center.