Police Station location & Town Properties "multi-month dialogue and discussion" begins with Council meeting Sep 2, 2026

August 28, 2026

To: Town Council

From: Jamie Hellen, Town Administrator

RE: Town Owned Properties, including Davis-Thayer, Parmenter & 275 Beaver St.

The Town Council and community will see a comprehensive presentation on town owned property. We have included a presentation and cover memo from the Director of GIS.

This presentation will serve as a spring board into a community dialogue about the future use of Parmenter, Davis-Thayer and 275 Beaver Street. There are no final decisions or legislation for action this evening.

Staff have included memorandums for the current conditions at Parmenter, a draft of an Request For Proposals (RFP) for the Davis-Thayer School (including a cover memo with the policy decisions needed to be made by the Town Council) and two RFP drafts related to 275 Beaver St: one to sell, and one to lease 275 Beaver Street.

These drafts are being provided based on decisions by the Town Council in Executive Session in February 2026, as well as the recommended site for the future of the Police Station by the Building Committee.

Members of the Police Station Building Committee will be present this evening, as well as representatives from CHA Consulting, Inc. who is acting as the Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) as required by state law.

Tonight begins a multi-month dialogue and discussion from the Town Council on formal decisions on where to site a new Police Station, whether to sell the Davis-Thayer property, the Parmenter property, where to permanently locate the Recreation Department and whether to sell or lease 275 Beaver Street.

In working with Chair Dellorco, we are anticipating Council discussions on this issue will occur on a monthly basis through, at least, the end of the year, or as long as the Council desires.

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11.        PRESENTATIONS / DISCUSSION -

b.        Discussion/Presentation: Town Owned Properties & siting of a new Police Station

i.   Town Administrator Memorandum

ii.     Town Owned Properties - Director of GIS, Kate Hinckley

1. Director memorandum

2.  GIS presentation

iii.   Director of Public Facilities Memorandum re: Parmenter

iv.   Police Station Building Committee website

v.   Director of Planning & Community Development Memorandum

vi.   Draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for Davis-Thayer property

vii.   Draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for 275 Beaver Street (sell)

viii.   Draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for 275 Beaver Street (lease)

The full agenda doc - https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09022026-2482

Police Station Bldg Cmte selects Parmenter as site, recommends code review of Parmenter building to Town Council (audio)

FM #1622 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1622 in the series. 

This session shares the Police Station Building Cmte Mtg held on Wednesday, January 6, 2026. 2 members (K Alexander, G Premo) were absent.  

Quick recap:

• Refresh on membership: "The Town Administrator shall nominate all eleven members of the committee membership, to be ratified by the Town Council. The Chair of the Town Council shall select the Chair, Vice-Chair and Clerk. Terms of the committee shall be through substantial completion of the project."   from the Committee charge document -> https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1146/Police-Station-Building-Committee-Charge-PDF 

• Chief TJ Lynch provides an update on the open house/tours held in Sept/Oct 2025 and poorly attended. Virtual tour available on project webpage -> https://www.franklinmapoliceproject.com/existing-conditions   or the YouTube playlist -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJjVX3ZOe9o&list=PLL2XKlvMgLAlZpjphLCLuJbyvu3tKxMOF 

• Joe Lynch, OPM provides an update then the remainder of the team walk through the process and findings to date. Tonight's presentation doc to be added to the project page in meantime, much of it restates that shared in August 2025  https://a8db3785-aec1-40c7-8a6f-6e79d6737676.filesusr.com/ugd/c81e0f_c6d6a290752446faa622810cfb358ba1.pdf  

• Discussion around site options, decided to make a recommendation for project site as Parmenter (passed unanimously). 

• Also determined to recommend a Code review of the existing facility at the quoted cost of $62.5K (passed 6-1; Woodward no)

• No meeting scheduled at this time, pending direction from Town Council

The recording runs about 60 minutes. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1622-police-station-bldg-cmte-mtg-01-06-26/

Franklin TV video available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNiDr84B38 

The agenda doc ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01062026-2064  




My notes in one PDF

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16_dc-Zg0yH5eRlDEfImxNUAiiK92JX3q/view?usp=drive_link 




Photo album of some of the slide alternatives for the Parmenter site

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2UZWJD1m68WCkYZB6 




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potential placement of new station keeping all of Parmenter building

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 




This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.




How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach out. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do




Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.




For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 




If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com




The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.




I hope you enjoy!

------------------




You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Police Station Bldg Cmte selects Parmenter as site, recommends code review of Parmenter building to Town Council (video0

The Police Station Building Committee met as scheduled on Wednesday, January 6 at 6:00 PM. 2 members were absent (K Alexander, G Primo).

Franklin TV video available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urNiDr84B38

The agenda doc ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01062026-2064 

Quick recap:

• Refresh on membership: "The Town Administrator shall nominate all eleven members of the committee membership, to be ratified by the Town Council. The Chair of the Town Council shall select the Chair, Vice-Chair and Clerk. Terms of the committee shall be through substantial completion of the project." from the Committee charge document -> https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1146/Police-Station-Building-Committee-Charge-PDF
• Chief TJ Lynch provides an update on the open house/tours held in Sept/Oct 2025 and poorly attended. Virtual tour available on project webpage -> https://www.franklinmapoliceproject.com/existing-conditions  or the YouTube playlist -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJjVX3ZOe9o&list=PLL2XKlvMgLAlZpjphLCLuJbyvu3tKxMOF
• Joe Lynch, OPM provides an update then the remainder of the team walk through the process and findings to date. Tonight's presentation doc to be added to the project page in meantime, much of it restates that shared in August 2025  https://a8db3785-aec1-40c7-8a6f-6e79d6737676.filesusr.com/ugd/c81e0f_c6d6a290752446faa622810cfb358ba1.pdf 
• Discussion around site options, decided to make recommendation for project site as Parmenter (passed unanimously). 
• Also determined to recommend a Code review of the existing facility at the quoted cost of $62.5K (passed 6-1; Woodward no)
• No meeting scheduled at this time, pending direction from Town Council

My notes in one PDF

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16_dc-Zg0yH5eRlDEfImxNUAiiK92JX3q/view?usp=drive_link

potential placement of new station keeping all of Parmenter building

Photo album of some of the slide alternatives for the Parmenter site

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2UZWJD1m68WCkYZB6

What's happening in Franklin, MA: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 ???

Tuesday, January 6

• Christmas trees scheduled for curbside pickup on your normal trash/recycling day

6:00pm Table Top (Franklin Public Library)

6:30pm Franklin Garden Club - monthly meeting (Franklin Senior Center)

Library & Senior Center events

For additional details on Library events -> 

https://www.franklinma.gov/942/Calendar-of-Events

For additional details on Senior Center events ->   

https://www.franklinma.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=37,24&showPastEvents=false

**  Town Meetings today   **

Police Station Building Committee Meeting

Tuesday, January 6 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01062026-2064 

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Find the full Community event calendar  https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

If you have an event to add to the calendar, you can use the form to submit it for publication:  https://bit.ly/Submit2Calendar

The Town meeting calendar is found  https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx
The School district calendar is found  https://franklinpublicschooldistrictma.sites.thrillshare.com/o/fpsd/page/school-calendar

Franklin TV: Tri-County Topped

A culmination – and a beginning

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 09/14/2025

Tri-County is finally realizing its dream – building a 21st century school facility. The long journey to today’s ‘topping off’ ceremonies began BC – before COVID. Architectural dreams often begin as design sketches – on napkins – in notebooks. Sketches become plans. Plans become projects. Today, that dream has a shape, sketched across the September sky – in steel.

Franklin TV: Tri-County Topped

The bones of the building now stand tall and strong.

The teachers, students, planners, political advocates, supporters and well-wishers all came out to celebrate the momentous event on a glorious Friday morning. So much work has been done to make this happen, and so much more will unfold over the next few years to complete Tri-County’s extensive regional vocational facility.

At a time when careers of every stripe face growing concerns over the threat of AI to future employment, the recognized and rising need for a highly skilled trades workforce that can meet the country’s future construction and infrastructure needs is becoming all the more acute. Skilled and talented ‘makers of tomorrow’ will come from schools like Tri-County which is clearly preparing to lead the way.

A grateful nod goes out to all who helped to guide this much needed initiative along the way. At the outset, the cost of such dreams can seem dear, but the generational value for decades to come is invaluable.

And – as always –

Thank you for watching. 

Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm.

And staying informed at Franklin●news.

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf 

Watch Listen Read all things that matter in Franklin MA

Tri-County Topping off held Friday, Sep 12

Tri-County Topping off held Friday, Sep 12

The topping off ceremony marking the last beam for the steel frame for the new Tri-County Vocational Technical High School was held on Friday, Sep 12, 2025.

The photos are courtesy of Chris Flynn, Franklin TV.

Photo album ->  https://photos.app.goo.gl/AD9224P6czCEYLNp9

Police Station Open House-Tour Saturday, Sep 13 at 1 PM

via the Police Station Bldg Committee:

Join us for an Open House of the Police Facility in Franklin!

Police Station Open House-Tour Saturday, Sep 13 at 1 PM

Stay informed on the plans, progress, and community impact of Franklin’s new police facility while we build a safer future for the police department and the greater community. -> https://www.franklinmapoliceproject.com/

Police Station Open House - Saturday, September 13, from 1 PM to 4 PM

The Police Station Building Committee has coordinated to hold three (3) open houses for Franklin residents to view the current and existing conditions of the facility on 911 Panther Way.

Police Station Open House - Saturday,
September 13, from 1 PM to 4 PM

The first of the 3 is on Saturday, September 13 from 1 to 4 PM.

The second is Tuesday, September 23 beginning at 6 PM

The third and final is Sunday, October 1 beginning at 6 PM

For additional info on the building project itself, visit ->

https://www.franklinmapoliceproject.com/

Police Station Building Cmte hears of progress on project, site selection info, initial cost estimates, sets meeting for Oct 27 (audio)

FM #1500 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1500 in the series. 

This session shares the Police Station Building Cmte Mtg held on Wednesday, August 27, 2025. One member (G Premo) was absent.  

Quick recap:

• Joe Lynch, Owner Project Manager, (OPM) provides an overview, then the other members of the team walk through the presentation doc shared here

• Starting with 200 in Franklin they whittled down to 36, then to 8, then finally to 2; Davis Thayer and Parmenter

• Compiled the listing of deficiencies and needs for the current and future department operations, lead to preliminary building design requirements

• In turn, these requirements lead to initial placement on the final 2 sites (DT & Parmenter) and a discussion on the pros and cons of each

• An initial estimation of the building cost and total project cost was provided. For Parmenter site it could be about $48M, the DT site would be more as it would also require demolition of the existing building and that was not calculated at the time

• Next steps were outlined

• open houses scheduled for the community to view the existing facility on 911 Panther Way

• Tours of 3 recent police buildings done for other communities are being scheduled for the Committee

• Next meeting scheduled for Oct 27 at Council Chambers

• Site selection is likely to be either at that meeting or the next one in order for the remainder of the project timeline to continue to move forward (i.e. more detailed design, and cost estimations, etc.)

The recording runs about 1 hour & 30 minutes

Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1500-police-station-bldg-cmte-mtg-08-27-25/

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Police Station Building Cmte hears of progress on project

Franklin TV video is available for replay -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdnipAetV_Q

Meeting agenda -> https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08272025-1881

Presentation copy -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OPCajcx6PGeiL2iLebQCN9Kj66sgOz2N/view?usp=drive_link

Police Station Building Cmte project page -> https://www.franklinmapoliceproject.com/

 

-------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

• And if you have interest in reporting on meetings or events, please reach out. We’ll share and show you what and how we do what we do

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news 

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"