NORTH SMITHFIELD – It’s official: The question of whether or not the town will be able to finance needed repairs at the North Smithfield police station with a bond of up to $9 million will be decided by voters at a special election to be held on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Members of the Town Council unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing the ballot question at their meeting on Monday, Dec. 1.
Councilors held a public hearing along with first reading of the ordinance last month, leaving just a few revisions remaining for discussion this week.
“What you have in front of you is an ordinance that received first passage at the last meeting,” explained Ellen Corneau, a partner Savage Law Partners, who serves as the town’s bond counsel. “This ordinance authorizes you to issue up to up to $9 million in bonds and or notes for the purposes of construction, rehabilitation, improvement of the town’s public safety complex.”
“You do not have to issue bonds because of it, but this allows you to do that,” Corneau added. “You have to have voter approval.”
The exact cost of the project – or if the town will borrow the full $9 million – remains uncertain. Estimates for the police station renovation have shown costs ranging from $5.4 million to $8.39 million, and Pariseault Builders of Cranston is expected to provide councilors with a guaranteed maximum price by mid-January.
Financing could utilize some town reserves, and elements such as a $500,000 elevator for the Smithfield Road building that serves as police headquarters could be removed from the final design plan.
“We are not, at this juncture, making any decision on our funding strategy,” said Councilor Rebecca DeChristofaro. “We’re not discussing if it’s hybrid. We’re not discussing if it’s 100 percent funded by bond. That’s not up for discussion at this point. We are solely approving this ordinance.”
Town Administrator Scott Gibbs noted that the wording in the ordinance would allow work to get underway soon after the vote if the question is approved.
“This has been drafted in a way that we can expend – after the election – municipal reserve funds and get reimbursed under the bond because of the way you structured it,” said Gibbs.
“You can start even construction,” agreed Corneau.
Councilor David Punchak questioned if the town was using the correct wording to describe the facility, a century-old former schoolhouse to be renovated to meet modern code and house law enforcement.
“We keep referring to it as a public safety complex,” Punchak said. “It’s a police station.”
“I don’t think it really matters what we’re calling it,” responded Gibbs.
Language approved Monday dictated that the final structure for financing the work will be fixed by Town Council resolution.
“The key here was to get this teed up so the we can meet all the time frames,” said Gibbs.
With much on the line and the failure of a previous bond to construct a new facility in 2023 behind them, councilors indicated the final amount to be financed is still up for discussion.
“It’s maximum,” said DeCristofaro. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that we need to take out $9 million.”
