ROCKLAND — Preliminary findings from Eastern Mold and Remediation’s assessment about two weeks ago of the Rockland Police Station has classified the basement condo at a Condition 3 Level 2 in regards to microbial growth, according to Rockland Police Chief Tim Carroll. This Level 3 designation is the highest level. Signs of mild to moderate microbial growth were found in every space except the patrol room and the central hallway.

The findings, the list of permanent repairs necessary for continued stay, and a formal letter from the Police Union concerned about health and safety, have now accumulated into an urgent push to get police personnel into another building sooner than later.

“Doing nothing is not an option,” said Mayor Adam Lachman, during the December 1, 2025 Agenda-Setting meeting.

A previous remediation got the 20 staff members through the summer. Included in the staff are a part-time administrative assistant and a parking enforcement officer/animal control officer, as well as the chief, deputy chief, and detectives.

“But, as we all know, we didn’t fix the problem that was causing the mold,” said Carroll. "It was just a bandaid of sorts."

The most effective repair would be to repoint the entire building, according to the report, as a way to fix the actual problem of the water coming in. To do that, at least three corners of the entire building need to be torn down and rebuilt. All the caulking and both control joints, windows, doors, and ceilings have gone way past their lifespan. Carroll added that a lot of the deterioration is coming from failed ceilings.

“Just for the safety of the staff, we need to do something sooner than later to get out of there,” said Carroll. “Short term, long term, moving to some other place, I think we need to, obviously, move toward something that is going to be beneficial to the city.”

But, how?

Carroll and the City Manager are returning to previous ideas, previous options. PD could try to stay there, and attempt to push the Condo Association to increase fees significantly for themselves and the restaurant and museum above them. The City could rent a new space on a permanent basis, or rent to own. The option to build new additions to City Hall has been considered, as well as returning to the initial idea of a combined Public Safety Building at the current fire station, 118 Park Street. That approach would be a two-phase expansion, first adding and modernizing space for the Police Dept., and then a few years down the road, modernizing the Fire Station side.

Or, they could build a new police station, like they’d proposed in October, prior to a defeat in the November election when citizens vetoed a $3 million bond question by 242 votes (1294 against – 1052 for, with 151 ballots remaining blank). City Council and Carroll chalked down the failed vote as poor timing, having come on the heels of the skyrocketing of property taxes after a revaluation.

“I think it was poor timing to ask for something like this, with everything that’s going on,” said Carroll. “[But] I do feel very confident with the support from the community.”

Lachman and Councilor Kaitlin Callahan both stressed that they are very aware of taxpayer feelings and the financial burdens involved, and they aim for fiscal balance. Yet, something needs to be done.

“I just think about any one of us,” said Councilor Penny York. “If we had someone come into our home and tell us that we had black mold, we’d leave immediately.”

If a new building was constructed, that still means temporary relocation of staff. According to Carroll, five trailers would be needed as offices for personnel, plus another for the evidence lab, which has strict criteria. Locker rooms are also needed. Last time the PD moved to trailers in the parking lot, the storage box cost $200 per month. The trailers were each $625 for the first month, $575 each additional month.

Funds to temporarily lease a building would come from the City’s General Fund, according to City Manager Tom Luttrell. But, as Councilor York said, “there’s no fund for kicking the can down the road.”

Knowing what the City knows now regarding the mold at 1 Park Drive, the issue can’t be ignored. As York said, workers compensation from lawsuits would be far more expensive than any lease or build option.

And, as Councilor Nicole Kalloch emphasized, a $20 million dollar building now, two years from now will be $40 million.

The City of Rockland is hoping to begin offering public meetings in January.

“There’s a number of possible solutions that are out there in terms of properties that maybe we haven’t considered,” said Lachman. “I think there’s a way to do this creatively, fiscally responsible, but with the urgency in terms of the health issue. I think the public meetings will convey that just because the vote failed, we’re not stopping. We’re going to continue to pursue this with the new approach, but with the certain type of urgency that it requires.”

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com

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