Funds OK’d for new sheriff’s office design

‘This isn’t going to be a Taj Mahal’ – Sheriff John Goggin
By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Piscataquis County commissioners approved spending up to $6,800 at their Feb. 17 meeting for a schematic design of a proposed new sheriff’s office.
    But it will probably be a few years before the moving vans back up to the old building.

    The vote to take the funds from the capital improvement account is only the first step in a lengthy process to find suitable quarters for the county law enforcement agency. Interim County Manager Tom Lizotte recapped the tour of the current headquarters and the Feb. 3 meeting when the shortcomings of the 1880s-era building were discussed.
    Architect Vicky Wolfertz of Monson gave the county officials a proposal on creating a schematic design and cost estimate for a new building.
    The 3,000 square-foot, single-story structure would include a public reception area; investigator’s and patrol office with five cubicles; offices for the sheriff, chief deputy, lieutenant and sergeant; a conference and training room, locker room with shower and single-bay garage with a wash bay.
    Lizotte explained that a schematic, as opposed to an actual blueprint, “gives you a sense of the layout of the building – where everything is located.” The architectural design usually runs about 8-10 percent of the construction cost.
    “This isn’t going to be a Taj Mahal,” Sheriff John Goggin assured commissioners. “There aren’t any bells and whistles with it.”
    Wolfertz said that she envisions the exterior to be “a twin to the Peaks House” which is now the county administrative office.
    There was a brief discussion on how the current sheriff’s office space could be used, but all agreed that it would be limited. One prospect would allow the jail administrator and communications director to have separate offices instead of sharing one cramped space. “There’s only one entrance and you have to duck your head to get into it,” Lizotte explained.
    Commissioner James Annis said that one of his biggest concerns was egress from the top floor where Goggin and Chief Deputy Bob Young’s offices are. “If there was a fire, you’d have to bail out the window,” he said. There is a steel fire escape attached to the building, the sheriff noted.
    Lizotte noted that Wolfertz’s fee of $80 per hour “is way below market rate for most architectural firms. Since she lives in Piscataquis County, we do get sort of a hometown discount.”
    Young said that the funds for the schematic could be taken from the sheriff’s department’s capital account, which has a balance of $10,500 and is used for building repairs and maintenance.
    The major expenditures, however, would have to be included in next year’s budget.
    If these are approved, then the next step is finding the best avenue to finance the construction and sending the issue out to voters in a countywide referendum. “That’s going to be a two year project,” Lizotte said.
    Commissioners unanimously agreed last week, however, to take the first step.