GLOCESTER – Necessary improvements are underway at the Glocester police station, located on Chopmist Hill Road, including construction of a much-needed security fence, according to town officials.
Work has included removing the remains of an obsolete septic tank, a buried oil tank, and live wires that were buried on the previously overgrown land adjacent to the back of the current parking lot. It also included filling in sink holes, removing trees and eliminating other debris.
“Now we have the first phase of them doing work over there completed,” Glocester Police Chief Joseph DelPrete told to members of the town council at their recent meeting.
DelPrete went on to praise Department of Public Works Director Gary Treml, whose crew cleaned up the area and prepped it for further final renovations.
“In three or four weeks they did a tremendous job,” he said. “I can’t praise them enough.”
Improvements will continue from funding from a COPS grant and funds reallocated by the council from an American Rescue Plan Act account originally designated toward replacing the communications tower. The improvements will also include an access-controlled gate, allowing the department to secure not only their own vehicles, but any impounded vehicles and equipment as well.
DelPrete admitted that the current improvements were a temporary stopgap, designed to provide security and more room until more funds can be found to complete necessary repairs to the parking lot, and to help mitigate water and drainage problems at the site.
“We’ve got work to be done on the front side (of the parking lot,) and the side at some point,” he explained.
Eventually, DelPrete noted that the parking lot will need to be upgraded because of problems caused by the site below, where remains of previous buildings and other debris were buried. The site, he said, needs to be excavated and rebuilt.
“We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars at some point,” DelPrete continued. “But that is phase three. I’ll formulate a plan with the DPW director.”
The current phase of the project is expected to cost around $68,000.
Originally, DelPrete explained, the necessary security fencing and parking lot repairs were put on hold, anticipating passage of a $10 million bond to pay for the work, as well as renovations to the police station. The total cost of $15 million included over $5 million in state and federal grants.
But the ballot request was defeated by town residents in a special referendum, causing the town to lose the majority of $5 million in grants. Now, the town is attempting to make use of whatever funding can still be allocated towards the project.
DelPrete explained the COPS grant has to be spent by January 1, 2025. Other grants, including the ARPA grant has to be allocated before the end of the year. He asked that $20,000 from ARPA funds previously allocated for repairs of the tower be reallocated to the current project.
“It’s just sitting there in that fund,” he said. “We need it to complete this project, to get it done.”
Renovations will be made at the communications center using the COPS grant, DelPrete said.
“We’re not getting what we want, but we are getting halfway there,” he added. “With this renovation, we’re gutting the whole dispatch center. We’re getting whole new dispatch center equipment.”
In the meantime while work proceeds, the center will have to be temporarily relocated to another part of the building. All of the renovations must be completed before the end of December.
“What about the tower?” asked Councilor Jonathan Burlingame.
“That’s a great question,” DelPrete responded. “It needs to be done. It’s a high priority project here in town, no question about it.”
DelPrete said that the department is in communication with U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, and that they are in the process of working on a grant for $165,000 to replace the tower. The grant was supposed to be awarded by the end of September, but nothing had been determined yet.
“That got pushed out to December,” said DelPrete. “We have an election. We have a lot going on.”
If the police department does not get the grant, he added, they will be back in 2025 asking for capital funds to complete the tower replacement.
“We’re probably going to have to get more capital, more town money to get that done,” DelPrete said.
Editors note: A previously version of this story stated that the station was on Adelaide Road. We apologize for the error.
The police station is on Chopmist Hill Rd.
Thank you for pointing out the error. It has been corrected above.