AN ARCHITECT’S PRELIMINARY DRAWING shows the footprint for the proposed new police station at the corner of Pleasant and Stanwood streets in Brunswick.
A town committee on Tuesday evening took a first look at early designs for a new police station project earmarked for the corner of Stanwood and Pleasant streets.
Cost estimates put the 20,000-square-foot, two-story building at around $5.3 million, though many hurdles remain to be cleared before the project takes shape.
Tuesday marked the beginning of the design process for the town’s Police Station Subcommittee and architect Brett Donham of the Boston-based Donham & Sweeney architects.
Donham gave the committee a total of six building layout options, with a suggested design that would put a lawn on the corner of Stanwood and Pleasant streets, sloping up to the building that would extend lengthwise along Pleasant Street.
A total of 58 parking spaces would surround the building to the south and the east, with dedicated parking for police cruisers to the south of the building through a driveway along Stanwood Street.
A contiguous parking lot to the east would provide parking for the public and for officers’ and employees’ vehicles.
Committee member Sarah Brayman raised concern about the proximity of a sally port, where arrestees are taken, to neighboring homes in the proposed layout.
Donham said that any noise disturbance from that arrangement would be minimal as officers would transport an arrestee in a cruiser directly into the enclosed sally port.
Deputy Police Chief Marc Hagan said Tuesday that the layout would be the most functional for the police department. On average, Hagan said, the department makes approximately 800 to 900 arrests per year.
While the committee expressed no preference for any of the exterior or interior features of the plans presented Tuesday, committee members did express a desire to add more distinctive architectural features to the building, such as a clock tower modeled on that of the former town hall.
“People are talking about having a clock tower, since it’s a gateway building” committee member Bernie Breitbart said Tuesday.
Donham said he would report back to the committee with the cost of such improvements.
In a series of meetings from now through March 21, Donham said, the committee will review and revise plans for the police station before seeking approval from the Planning Board and Town Council.
Prior to discussion of the proposed designs for the police station project, Larissa Darcy, president of the Brunswick Development Corporation, which owns the land at the planned site of the project, stated the BDC’s plans to transfer that property to the town if project plans receive approval.
Town Manager Gary Brown said during an Oct. 3 Town Council meeting that there has been public discussion about exchanging the town’s current municipal offices and police station at 28 Federal St. for the Stanwood and Pleasant street property owned by the BDC.
On Tuesday, the committee set its next meeting for Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. in the Town Council chambers at Brunswick Station, 16 Station Ave.
To view a copy of Tuesday’s presentation online, visit: http://ow.ly/7QXRp.
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