Town seeks an appraisal of the Old Police Station’s market value

The Town of Dartmouth is exploring its options for potentially selling the old police station on Russells Mills Road. 

On March 4, the Town contracted a company to perform an appraisal of the old police station. The appraisal will include a site evaluation and market assessment to determine the property’s value. Ultimately, Town Meeting would have the final say on whether or not to place the police station on the market at its assessed value. 

There’s been debate among Town officials over whether to sell or demolish the old police station, which was abandoned in 2014 after legionella bacteria, which can cause a severe type of pneumonia known as Legionnaires’ disease, was discovered in the plumbing. 

The Town Administrator's office and the Historical Commission will be coordinating with the appraiser in the coming months to draft a recommendation letter to put before the Select Board ahead of the Town Meeting in June. 

“What this ultimately does is it provides the Town with the information as to the value of the building,” said Assistant Town Administrator Chris Vitale. “When we look at the final appraisal report, the value of the property is going to indicate the level of interest from the private market.”