Saugus Weighs Cost of Third Public Safety Building
Select Board · Meeting of September 15, 2026
Saugus officials weigh a $30 million to $35 million third public safety building for the west side. Town Manager Scott Crabtree told the Select Board Tuesday the project would also require roughly $1.5 million a year in new staffing costs, funded through a debt exclusion and a separate operational override, similar to the financing structure behind the town's school override, which passed with 71 percent support. Crabtree said the town's nearly $4.5 million public safety dispatch center overhaul, including $525,000 in new communications equipment and a planned 150-foot radio tower, is nearing completion and expected to open in late September or early October.
One Select Board member said "my biggest fear" is the backlash once a specific site is named publicly. The board took no formal votes on the matter, aside from a procedural motion to adjourn into its regular 7 p.m. meeting.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,093 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 30-day free trial
Subscribe to Saugus News to keep reading this post and get 30 days of free access to the full post archives.
Starting a trial requires a payment method. After 30 free days your subscription begins at the price shown at checkout and renews automatically until you cancel. You can cancel anytime from your account. Subscription terms
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news