Police Department Move Delayed

During the Dracut Board of Selectmen Meeting this evening, Town Manager Dennis Piendak reported that the opening of the new Police Station will be delayed for a few weeks as they work out problems with the plumbing and smoke detectors in the cells. The rest of the building seems to be ready to go. He expects the occupancy to occur at the end of April.

Parker House Grill

The new owners of the restaurant formerly known as the Ding Ho on Broadway have requested and been given all the liquor and vending permits from the former chinese restaurant.

Work is progressing on refurbishing and preparing the new Parker House Grill Restaurant that will open hear the end of April/beginning of May.

The plan is to serve traditional New England steakhouse fare, but in a Brazillian serving style (carved at the table, family style side dishes)

This really sounds like a great addition to the neighborhood.

School Building Facilities Report

When we read the words “structurally unsound,” nobody wants to be responsible. A report that has been prepared by the School Department for the state School Building Assistance board lists a number of our schools in such a manner.

The selectman decided that they want to wait until a joint meeting with the School Committee so that they could discuss the issues at hand before they would sign the report and forward it to the state.

Golf Course on Track

Well, it was until last week when candidate Colleen Swiniarski and a couple other residents filed for an injunction.

The town manager pointed out that there is a hearing next week on April 4th to try to resolve the case.

Other than that, the temporary clubhouse has been ordered, and a parking lot is in the process of being constructed with a goal of opening on or about April 15th (this is just one busy month!)

Selectman Bob Cox did take the opportunity to mention that he has been getting a lot of calls from property owners up on the hill who are concerned that the value of their property is in serious risk due to this lawsuit, and he feels that the suit is “politically motivated.”

Move Town Hall Annex?

Selectman Chairman Jim O’Loughlin recommended (as he mentioned in his interview last Saturday) that we close down the Town Hall Annex and move those offices into the old Police Station after the Police Department moves to their new digs.

His goal is to contact local trade unions, the GLTECH, and other local contractors to try to get them to donate some time and effort to renovate the old police department building.

Selectman Ken Cunha made the point (which was agreed upon) that the town needs to look at the whole issue of the Town Hall ADA compliance as a package. The annex proposal is just one part of that. The board decided to plan a separate meeting to hash through the numbers and try to get things moving.

It is good to see someone taking a lead on trying to resolve this issue. The clock is running.

 

 Selectman Cox discusses Golf Course Lawsuit [2:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download