On Wednesday June 17, the Ad-Hoc Scarborough Public Safety Complex Building Committee held its last official meeting. Our committee first met on Nov. 30, 2016 and would go on to hold 36 official meetings but, in truth, we met well over 50 times. At that first meeting none of us would have expected that at our final meeting we would all be wearing masks with bottles of hand sanitizer at the ready while sitting socially distanced in the training room of the recently opened Scarborough Public Safety Building. To say it was surreal is an understatement.
Our final meeting marked the end of a 44-month process that, first, built the case that Scarborough’s aging public safety building needed to be replaced and, second, delivered a modern facility designed to meet the needs of our growing town. During the course of the last 3 1/2 years, our public safety building updates have served to keep town residents informed of the project’s progress and once in construction have focused, deservedly so, on the tremendous work of the construction and design team led by Scarborough-based Landry French Construction, and Context Architecture with oversight by owner’s representative Tom Perkins of Dirigo Architectural Engineering.
However, as I sat in that new training room last month, I looked out at the dedicated citizens who answered the call to volunteer to serve on the building committee. I say that because our committee really brought a great combination of experience, skillsets and commitment to the table. Greg Hanscom is a former police chief in Lewiston who understood law enforcement, Bruce Bell is a longtime fireman with construction experience, Energy Committee member Rick Meinking is an energy efficiency professional and a true mechanical systems expert, former Town Councilor and Energy Committee member Judy Roy knows the town and how to get things done, Dave Libby has a finance background and had built projects for his company, Roger Chabot has decades of business experience, and local businessman Roccy Risbara brought years of construction expertise in Scarborough. Our initial committee also included Susan Hamill whose insights and perspective were greatly appreciated as well as Town Councilors Peter Hayes and Kate St. Clair.
There were two other people at our final meeting who truly deserve mention, Fire Chief Mike Thurlow and Police Chief Robbie Moulton. I will never forget my ride home from the Black Point Inn on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2016. I had just attended the Scarborough Economic Development Corporation Annual Meeting and was pulled aside by Chief Thurlow and Chief Moulton. They asked me if I would consider serving on the new public safety building committee. As I drove along Black Point Road, observing the 25 mile per hour speed limit I might add, I couldn’t help but recall meeting with the chiefs in 2007 when my company at the time, fresh from completing the high school renovation and expansion project, priced preliminary plans for a new public safety building to be constructed on the corner of Route One and Commerce Drive next to the Maine Veterans Home-Scarborough. That project never made it off the drawing boards but even back then it was clear the old public safety building was on its last legs.
I cannot say enough about the determination and dedication to this project shown by Chief Thurlow and Chief Moulton. These two native sons of Scarborough worked tirelessly on the project while continuing to oversee one of Maine’s best and most professional public safety departments. I’ve had the good fortune to work on a number of public safety projects in my construction career and have always heard nothing but positive comments about Chief Thurlow and Chief Moulton from their peers in other towns. Scarborough residents don’t know how lucky we are to have their leadership.
I’d like to thank some of the many people who helped make this happen. Scarborough’s Town Councils, both past and present, who were incredibly supportive from beginning to end, Town Manager Tom Hall and his staff including Town Engineer Angela Blanchette, Town Planner Jay Chace, SEDCO’s Karen Martin, Public Works Director Mike Shaw, and IT Director Don Begin who together, at various times, were important cogs in this project.
Finally, I’d also like to thank Landry French’s Nick Gaddar and Steve Lapointe for leading the construction team onsite, local resident Kylie Mason of Sebago Technics who led site engineering and landscaping design efforts, Tim Boyce of SW Cole Engineering, Paul Becker of Becker Structural Engineering and James McBrady of McBrady Steel on Pleasant Hill Road whose steel was fabricated to perfection. It was great to work with so many local companies to deliver this important project!
Someday soon, the new Scarborough Public Safety Complex will get to open its doors to the citizens of Scarborough and residents will see a modern, functional facility that will serve the town for many years. I know I can’t wait for people to be able to see it!
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
