Pepperell Capital Panel Reviews Police Station Repairs, Fire Apparatus Plan

Capital Program Committee · Meeting of August 10, 2026

Pepperell capital panel reviews a 1988-era police station and a fire department eyeing a new station. Fire Chief Joe Rock, six months into the job, presented a 20-year apparatus plan showing engines averaging 18 years old against a 25-year expected lifespan, and floated a modular Jersey Street headquarters estimated at $7 million to $10 million, citing North Chelmsford's $4 million, 4,200-square-foot modular station and Acton's $10.9 million stick-built alternative as benchmarks. The Pepperell police chief separately walked the committee through locker rooms and restrooms untouched since 1988, with rough repair estimates ranging from $34,000 for a small lobby bathroom to $209,000 for the men's locker room.

A separate $6.2 million state-funded renovation of the station's third floor, for the regional dispatch center Pepperell hosts, has received $2.3 million so far, fully state-funded. Chair David Ganong noted the town "bought Park Street in 1978 and essentially didn't put a nickel into it until 2025," as members discussed a possible November ballot request following a $40 million public safety building that passed Town Meeting but failed at the ballot in prior years.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,099 words

Source: the Capital Program Committee meeting of August 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.