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Plan To Relocate Ticonderoga Police Station Draws Criticism

Holly Dixon

UPDATE 9/11/15: On Thursday evening, the Town Board voted 3-2 to rescind an advisory referendum resolution passed late last month that would have asked for voters' opinion on a plan to relocate the town police station to a town-owned former New York State Armory building.

Mr. Stu Baker was incorrect in his assertion that the town's resolution to bring an advisory referendum was illegal. The move is protected under NYS Town Law, Article 6, Section 81(1)(b) which states: The town board may upon its own motion and shall upon a petition, as hereinafter provided, cause to be submitted at a special or biennial town election, a proposition: 1. In any town:...to purchase, lease, construct, alter or remodel a town hall, a town lockup or any other necessary building for town purposes, acquire necessary lands therefor, and equip and furnish such buildings for such purposes, or to demolish or remove any town building 

The town will now begin a new search for a police station site. Our original story is posted below. 

Ticonderoga town supervisor Bill Grinnell says the town's police station is suffering from structural deficiencies that are getting worse.

"They're not getting better, they're getting worse, and they're not of a repairable nature. And we've got to look at a different venue to put them in. How we get that venue is the question and how we get that venue is the question, and how much money it's going to cost the taxpayer, in my opinion, is one of the primary concerns," said Grinnell.

For months, Grinnell has been supportive of a plan before the town board to move the police station to a town-owned former state armory building. And in that time, a group of nearby residents in the Essex County town of about 5,000 people have organized against the proposal.

Ticonderoga resident Rich Strum says the plan to move police operations into a building that functions as a community center is a bad mix.

"There are events going on in the armory until 9,10, 11 o'clock at night on the weekends. That means that there's parents dropping off, picking up children right up until late in the evening. You add darkness to that and emergency vehicles responding, it just seems like an accident waiting to happen," said Moser.

Residents have also voiced concerns about increased traffic in the surrounding neighborhood and a potential loss in property values. They've also called on the town to consider alternative proposals. At a public hearing on the project on August 18th, a dozen spoke against the proposal, while three spoke in favor.

Another issue: late last month, a letter was returned to the town from the State Office of General Services saying a police station would violate a deed restriction that was adopted on the 2003 transfer of the property. Under the restriction, the town must use the property for recreational purposes.

In the letter, OGS Commissioner RoAnn Destitio said:

"Police activity, including the departure of police vehicles on emergency calls on such a small parcel, in our view are inconsistent with the current use and would violate the deed covenant."

Town resident Holly Dixon.

"This deed for this armory was granted for use of the armory for purposes of recreation, and we really didn't think the police was recreation," said Dixon

One day before the OGS letter was received by the town, the town financial committee passed a resolution to bring the issue of the police station relocation to voters in November. The language reads “Should the storage building at the Ticonderoga Armory be converted for use for the Ticonderoga Police Department?”

Opponents are now arguing that bringing the issue to a referendum is illegal.

Stu Baker is an opponent of the proposal and also serves as chair of the town planning board.

"The resolution to set the advisory referendum is seemingly unaware that advisory referendum are actually illegal in New York State."

Supervisor Grinnell disputes that and believes the move to put the measure on the November ballot is legal.

"I believe they're getting their information and their legal opinions from within their group and I'm not sure that they have anyone that has passed the bar."

Grinnell said he expects the town board to move on to other business at Thursday night’s scheduled meeting. 

Lucas Willard is a reporter and host at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, which he joined in 2011.