Site Chosen for New Dartmouth Police Station, Plans Being Drawn Up

An advisory group to the Dartmouth Police Department has unanimously chosen the former Gidley School as the site of a new police station.

The former school building on Tucker Road is set to be demolished in February, after Town Meeting approved $785,000 to do so in October. Police Chief Robert Szala says the new station will be a no-frills headquarters, so as not to overburden the town's residents. "I'm a taxpayer myself. I pay taxes in the Town of Dartmouth and I'm very conscious of the efforts we're going to make to keep the cost as low as possible, to get the biggest bang for our buck, if you will," said Szala.

Szala says the only thing on his "wish list" for the new station is a community training room that can be utilized by town organizations.

Town Meeting also approved $215,000 for the design of the new station, which will be carried out by the Carell Group.

Plans and cost information will be presented to town voters before the question to approve a debt exclusion for the construction appears on the April ballot.