PARIS – The police department wants to move into the old Paris fire station at Market Square.
Town Manager Steve McAllister and Police Chief David Verrier will be researching a budget for the move in the coming weeks, McAllister announced at Monday’s selectmen meeting. Once they have some estimates, they will take them to the Pine Street Fire Station Committee.
The committee recommended using the old fire station as a police station at its Nov. 19 meeting. The committee was charged at the annual town meeting in June with coming up with a use for the 80-plus-year-old building, which the fire department outgrew. The fire department now has a new $1.9 million station on Western Avenue.
Committee member and Selectman Nancy Record said it will be up to voters at next year’s annual town meeting to decide if the move – and its associated costs – makes sense.
Four or five years ago, the police department moved operations from the Masonic building at Market Square to a new building behind the town hall. A move to the old fire station would give them a third more space than they now have, McAllister said.
McAllister said the committee had asked all town departments and committees if they had any interest in the old fire station, and the police department was the only respondent.
He said if the move takes place, the existing police station would become town administrative offices to include space for the parks and recreation director and storage. The extra space will also allow the records area in the town office to expand with added fire safety and security measures.
In other action, selectmen unanimously appointed Buddy Coffren of Gothic Street to serve on the budget committee until 2006. Coffren will also be on a waiting list should an opening come up on the Oxford County Regional Solid Waste Board.
Selectmen approved liquor license requests for Maurice Restaurant and Market Square Restaurant, and authorized the Foster-Carroll American Legion to run beano on Tuesday nights, as well as sell sealed ticket bids.
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