ASHFIELD — The Selectboard has asked Highway Superintendent Thomas Poissant to get cost estimates for a storage shed to house the town’s police cruisers at the Highway Department property at 896 Cape St. In pricing possible storage sheds, Poissant said a 24-by-21-foot metal garage — big enough to house two cruisers — would cost about $5,400. A smaller shed would be about $4,500, but fitting in both cruisers would be tight, said Poissant.
Selectman Todd Olanyk said he would rather have the Highway Department “clean out that last bay” for the police cruisers to use, and keep the oldest town dump truck outside in the winter, rather than ask voters for money to shelter police cruisers.
Poissant said he isn’t comfortable giving out the keys to the Highway Garage to various reserve officers. “It would be different if we built a separate bay with a separate lock,” he said.
Town Administrator Kayce Warren said the cruisers are about an $80,000 town investment, including all the communications systems and electronics. She said the cruisers were should be protected, to last longer.
“If (garaging the cruisers) is an issue,” said Selectman Thomas Carter, “we can bring it up at the next annual town meeting.”