WATERVILLE — An architect from Port City Architecture recommends the city build a new police station at Head of Falls rather than buy the Morning Sentinel and retrofit it for that purpose.

John Charette told about 35 people who turned out at a public meeting Tuesday that building a new, one-story police station on the waterfront would produce a smaller building — 12,144 square feet; it would be of more modern construction, parking would be adequate and operational costs would be less at the Sentinel building.

Also, he said, police would get a building that better meets their needs.

City councilors on Tuesday are scheduled to vote whether to buy the Morning Sentinel building for $550,000 and turn it into a police station.

Retrofitting the Sentinel would take less time than building new, but the city would lose taxes on it, Charette said, as he reviewed the pros and cons of each option. The Sentinel was not designed to be a police station, parking is inadequate, there’s only one-way driving around the building and there’s no room for expansion, he said. Structural changes would have to be made to the building as well, he said.

“I would recommend single-story, at Head of Falls,” he said.

Charette’s recommendation comes three days after City Manager Michael Roy’s release on Friday of cost estimates to build new at Head of Falls versus retrofitting the Sentinel building. The figures were developed by Port City and the city’s construction manager, Wright-Ryan Construction, Inc., both of Portland.

Project estimates, including contingencies are: a single-story building at Head of Falls, $3.2 million; the Sentinel building with an exterior sally port, $3.3 million; a two-story building at Head of Falls, $3.4 million; and the Sentinel building with an interior sally port, $3 million.

The estimates are $500,000-plus more than the $2.5 million the council approved for a police station.

Councilor Erik Thomas, D-Ward 4, who has argued against building new at Head of Falls, said a one-story building there would cover the entire parking lot currently on the site and infringe on the Two Cent Plaza recently built there.

The city should not eliminate the option to build a two-story building at Head of Falls, he said.

Mayor Karen Heck said people want to know how much the city’s tax rate would increase if a $3 million police station is built.

Thomas said a person who owns a property worth about $100,000 would pay about $10 more a year in taxes.

Councilor John O’Donnell, D-Ward 5, reminded those present that the tax rate is increasing this year and it would increase next year as well.

“I hate to sound like a Republican, but my goodness,” he said, to laughter from the audience.

Heck said the reason the tax rate increased this year is that the city did not get the $880,000 it could have received in state revenue sharing. She urged people to talk to state senators and representatives about that.

Jill Hodsdon, of A.E. Hodsdon Engineers, of Waterville, urged against building at Head of Falls.

Passenger rail service will be coming to Waterville, she said. The only egxit for police when a train comes through Head of Falls is through a narrow underpass north of the Two Cent Bridge, she said.

“You can’t get an ambulance, firetruck, or emergency response vehicle through there,” Hodsdon said.

Roy said the Police Station Study Committee looked at the underpass with a representative of the state Department of Transportation and found the access adequate.

“It’s certainly not ideal, but it’s also not going to take a lot of money to make that access from Head of Falls to Front Street,” he said.

He said improving the access site would cost between $5,000 to $10,000, money that is not included in the cost estimates for building a new station at Head of Falls.

He also said trains come through the site three times a week.

Hodsdon was not moved by his argument, saying that the area has three colleges and an audience for passenger rail service.

“You’ve got to look into the future; you can’t just go with what it is today,” she said.

Police Chief Joseph Massey urged building new at Head of Falls, saying having an interior sally port at the Sentinel is unworkable; and while having an exterior sally port is more workable, there are other issues with the Sentinel building, such as inadequate parking and unworkable spaces inside the building.

“I’ve been working downstairs (in City Hall) for 26 years in deplorable conditions,” Massey said. “I would just hate to see us go into another area that was problematic and had all kinds of design issues, and I think you eliminate that with a new building.”

Resident Jessica Laliberte, whose father, Ronald, is a former city police chief, said police deserve a new facility. She urged the city to put the question of whether the city should build new or renovate the Sentinel building out to voters, as they will be the ones footing the bill.

“Ask taxpayers what they want to support,” she said.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com