By CHRIS COLLINS
(Greenfield, MA) — The Greenfield Police Department will have to wait another month to find out whether a series of building upgrades will be funded.
After an extensive debate, the Greenfield City Council last night voted to table a $1-point-35 million dollar appropriation to do a series of capital upgrades to the High Street police headquarters.
The debate was preceded by a number of comments from residents who lobbied against spending any money on police-related expenses in the wake of public outcry over the conviction of a Minnesota police officer in the killing of George Floyd. Once discussion began, some councilors expressed concerns that the plans submitted by Greenfield Police Chief Robert Haigh did not contain enough detail.
“I repeatedly asked for additional information, but never received it,” Precinct 5 Councilor Tim Dolan said. “I literally do not know what I am funding right now.”
For some, like Precinct 1 Councilor Ed Jarvis, the lack of detail argument rang hollow
“We just approved funding for a new skateboard park and a new bocce court (for the recreation department) with no plans either,” Jarvis said.
Greenfield Mayor Roxann Wedegartner said the original request was for $5 million, but was eventually pared down to $2.5 million and then eventually $1.35 million. She said she favored building an entirety new public safety complex, but the situation wasn’t financially practical.
“I’d like to build a whole new building,” Wedegartner said. “This may seem like a Band Aid, but it’s one we can afford right now.”
And it’s one Haigh says is badly needed for the people who work there.
“When you call our department, for whatever the reason, the first person you are going to talk to is a dispatcher,” Haigh said. “And right now, our dispatchers are working out of a closet.”
Haigh also said the upgrades are necessary to help achieve the department’s goal of receiving full accreditation, which says has been a goal of his since taking over as chief almost eight years ago.
At-Large Councilor and Ways and Means Committee Chair Christine Forgey moved to reduce the appropriation to $600,000 to keep the measure from being defeated, which would have prevented it from being brought back for at least nine months.
“These are things which need to get done,” Forgey said. “If the roof is leaking in your house, you have to fix it.”
Precinct 2 Councilor Dan Guin argued that the city is partially to blame for the building’s deterioration.
“This is about structure and responsibility,” Guin said. “We got here because the police were promised a public safety facility. If this were a business and we were sending employees into a building like that, we’d be torn up in terms of public opinion and rightfully so.”
The council will revisit the appropriation at its regular May meeting.