A contentious debate over the scale of Cohasset’s future police headquarters erupted Monday night as Police Chief William Quigley clashed with board members over the accuracy of data used to justify the project’s costs. The conflict centered on a spreadsheet presented by Associate Member Ralph Dormitzer and Member Robert Kasameyer, which compared Cohasset’s police staffing and facility square footage to other South Shore municipalities.

Chief Quigley took immediate issue with the presentation, which suggested Cohasset has a higher-than-average number of officers per resident. I have problems with this document right off the bat, Quigley said, noting that he had made three phone calls in ten minutes to confirm that the figures listed for Marshfield and Duxbury were incorrect. This is a lazy way to do it... This is sloppy and it's being put out in a public forum as fact when it's not. Quigley urged the board to use his office as a resource rather than relying on open-source website data that he characterized as outdated or inaccurate.

Dormitzer defended his research, noting he spent eight hours compiling publicly available records. I take umbrage at you calling this sloppy. I don't believe talking to police chiefs is the right way; public records are, Dormitzer countered, arguing that verbal statements might lack the precision of official documentation. The tension was further heightened when Lieutenant Greg Lennon addressed the terminology used in the board’s materials. Staffing is a professional undertaking. Also, we have several female officers. The use of the word 'policemen' is outdated and disrespectful. Please use 'police officers' going forward, Lennon said.

The staffing dispute ties directly into the ongoing $20 million-plus Public Safety Facility project at 135 King Street. Member Robert Kasameyer explained that the board was seeking a baseline to explain costs to taxpayers. Looking at the data, cost issues seem driven by the number of police officers. If we normalize the number of officers per resident, we should get to the bottom of how many we really need in the future, Kasameyer said. Chair Susan Franklin added that while construction costs remain high, the board must justify the total spend, noting, Inflation has a huge impact on why we are where we are.

The committee also heard a progress report on the facility’s redesign. Member Cathy Forest reported that architects are working on schematic designs expected by March 13. However, the price of preparation is climbing; the town anticipates spending $200,000 on schematics followed by another $800,000 for bid-ready engineering. Member Chrissie Francona questioned the necessity of the $2 million total design price tag. I'm struggling to understand why we need to spend $2 million on design and schematics if bids were collected last year, Francona said. Forest explained that previous bids have expired and the removal of the fire substation from the King Street plan required a complete overhaul of HVAC, utilities, and site excavation.

Beyond public safety, the town is facing an urgent infrastructure crisis at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Sewer representatives Paul and Bill informed the board that the plant’s filtration membranes are failing after only seven years of their ten-year warranty due to high material inflow. The failure is placing significant strain on the system and its operators. Motion Made by R. Kasameyer to recommend $1,000,000 to fund the WWTP system upgrades with repayment from retained earnings. Motion Passed (5-0). To address the immediate need for replacement parts, which carry a five-month lead time, the board also authorized a fund transfer. Motion Made by R. Kasameyer to recommend a $60,000 transfer from retained earnings to be combined with $460,000 in the stabilization fund to fund membrane replacement. Motion Passed (5-0). Bill noted that while the cost is high, the town is currently conducting a rate study with Woodard & Curran to ensure the enterprise fund remains solvent as $900,000 in annual debt is set to roll off in 2030.

Interim Town Manager Michelle Leary provided a broader look at the town’s debt, identifying $3.3 million in authorized but unused funds for the GA water system that the town intends to rescind at the upcoming Town Meeting. Leary reported that of $25.2 million in total authorized debt across various projects, $17.2 million remains unissued. We are asking to rescind some money at town meeting that was never used, Leary said, noting that Town Hall renovation debt will likely begin impacting the town's schedule in FY28.

Smaller capital requests also drew scrutiny. Facilities representative Nick and Library Director Nelson presented a $50,000 request to replace a wooden library door with an ADA-compliant entrance leading to the new pavilion. The current wooden door doesn't meet standards and isn't ADA accessible, Nick said. Nelson added that the door will serve as a primary entrance for the lower parking lot, stating, It enhances the pavilion use but is a separate building issue.

In technology spending, IT Director Ron requested $46,000 to replace 58 aging computers and $200,000 for a security camera expansion at the schools. We are looking to replace 58 end-user devices... We are moving to Ryzen CPUs instead of Intel to save money, Ron said. While the computer replacement is a routine cycle, the camera project faced pushback from Dormitzer, who questioned the value of $200,000 for parking lot surveillance. Exterior cameras don't stop intruders in real-time; they are just for after-the-fact investigation, Dormitzer argued. Ron countered that the police department and school officials view the cameras as vital for operational awareness and deterring vandalism.