For East Lyme residents, it’s time to take pause and review the Public Safety Building issue.

For too long our town has politicized the building of a Public Safety facility. Two failed projects over the past two decades have resulted in our first responders working in sub-par conditions. With the police still in a temporary facility that was never designed, never renovated, and never meant to be used as a public safety facility, I had an opportunity to solve this lingering problem. It was time to stop kicking the can down the road. Town residents and commission members who toured the current facility all agreed it was time.

As first selectman, I work daily to ensure the welfare of our citizens. That includes our dedicated police officers who work around the clock for our safety.

Having just gone through the largest building project in town history with the renovation of three elementary schools, our choices were limited. When presented with the chance to give police a modernized facility at a fraction of the cost of past failed initiatives, I knew it was my duty to bring this opportunity forward. The plan to buy the 28,000 square-foot Honeywell building and renovate to a public safety facility was supported unanimously by every board and commission that weighed in. Townspeople voted overwhelmingly in its favor at referendum.

After an exhaustive process interviewing numerous architectural firms, the appointed Public Safety Building Vision Committee selected Silver/Petrocelli, experienced in designing police facilities. Three weeks ago, Silver/Petrocelli presented its “renovate as new” plan as a starting point in the process. The firm explained that this is typical of such projects to have a well-informed plan review for short-range and long-range planning.

The architect’s preliminary report included the replacement or addition of scores of items that would never be considered for this project. It was never intended for public consumption, having no basis in how the current project  will be considered by the committee. Unfortunately, the preliminary nature of that report was overlooked or misunderstood by many and by the press covering our community. This has created unwarranted concerns.

To clear up misunderstandings, architect William Silver spoke at last week’s Board of Selectmen meeting. He apologized for the confusion and reiterated that this preliminary plan was just that. He said that the final product would conform to the project outlined by the vision committee, will be suited in every way for its purpose, and come in on time and on budget.

Silver added, “Part of our responsibility is to show the larger scale and broader scope of the (building) and then work with the committee to establish priorities to meet the program needs and more importantly meet budget. And we are still going to do that.”

He further explained, “It is a function of the plan that the police and the police commission and the planning committee have developed, and we are confident that we will make it work within the building and within your budget. We just need the time to work through the process. Responsible planning needs and deserves time working together to establish that list of priorities and especially for our architects to respond to the committee’s needs to meet a budget. We are aware of the $1.7 (million available) and we are confident that we will meet that budget.”

Those specific and direct comments should go a long way in building back the trust of those concerned. When we took politics out of the process, the town approved a new facility at a fraction of the cost of a new building. Promises were made to our citizens by the Task Force and the Vision Committee and I have confidence that those promises will be kept.

Mark Nickerson, a Republican, is seeking re-election as the first selectman of East Lyme.