BUCKLAND — The search for a new site to house the Senior Center of Shelburne Falls took another turn Tuesday night. In a split vote, the Selectboard passed a motion to offer the town’s Police Station to the Senior Center.
The vote was not a formal offering, but rather a message of support for the Senior Center to assess how viable it is to acquire and renovate the Police Station. The center is shared by Buckland, Shelburne and Ashfield.
However, of the short-listed sites presented by the Senior Center earlier this year, the Police Station ranked the lowest among about 100 survey respondents, Director Cathy Buntin said. Project organizers estimated that renovating the Police Station would cost $3.35 million; the other sites were projected to cost between $3 and $4 million.
Buntin said Senior Center project organizers had not looked at the Buckland Police Station yet because doing so would require spending money, and it has not incited much interest among residents.
“We’re really trying to be frugal,” Buntin said.
In support of Tuesday’s motion were Selectboard members Dena Willmore and Zachary Turner. Willmore expressed some reservations about the station’s size, which is 5,600 square feet, saying the center may have “excess capacity” if it moves there.
Meanwhile, Selectboard member Barry Del Castilho opposed the measure, reasoning that an alternate site for the Police Department has not yet been identified.
“I cannot support that without knowing what happens to the Buckland Police Department,” Del Castilho said.
Buckland Police Chief James Hicks said there have not been any discussions about using the center as yet. He added that he is not sure where the department would go.
“I think the Selectboard just left that as an option, and if it was a go for the Senior Center then I guess we would be looking for another location,” Hicks said.
The Police Station was one of four top site options the Senior Center Expansion Committee presented at public meetings early this year. The other three were to renovate the former Mole Hollow building, and to construct new buildings next to the Arms Library or at Church and Mechanic streets near Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School.
Another site option surfaced recently. The Senior Center’s current landlord, the Mountain Lodge of Masons, recently offered to negotiate allowing the center to expand its use of the two-story Masonic Lodge. The Senior Center currently occupies the first floor of the building. The lodge and Senior Center are currently in legal talks about this, and are unable to share any information about discussions at this time, said Turner, who is involved.
The Arms lot appears to be the top choice at the moment for a new site at the moment. The Senior Center commissioned a third-party contractor to conduct a site review of the land a couple months ago, with results currently under review by project organizers, Buntin said.
Reach Grace Bird at gbird@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280.