Washington County’s public safety infrastructure is getting a much-needed upgrade following the application of $6.1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
This spring will see the completion of a new building in Machias that will house the sheriff’s office and jail administration, replacing antiquated quarters and easing space constraints at the jail. In the meantime, funds have been used to relocate the district attorney’s office and upgrade the software at the Regional Communications Center (RCC).
The new building, a two-story facility with a price tag just shy of $5.5 million, is set to be completed in April — just after its originally projected date — said Washington County manager Renée Gray, with the minor delay caused by suppliers of materials.
“We’re actually very encouraged it’s still projected to be finished by the end of March, but the cleaning date is set for April,” she said.
Designed by Port City Architecture and built by Sheridan Construction of Fairfield, the new facility is a distinct departure from the 1858 historic building that currently hosts the sheriff’s office. Beyond its modernity, the major advantage offered by the transition is space.
Once completed, the new building will have offices for the sheriff, chief deputy, patrol deputies, detectives, administrative assistant and civil process, along with jail administration and IT. The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency will also be leased a space.
Law enforcement officials believe having all of the county’s law enforcement offices together will improve coordination and organization while also enabling room for expansion — something they said is necessary given the rapid rise in calls for service over the past decade.
In 2015, the RCC received 4,453 calls for service; in 2024, approximately 9,900 calls came in, according to chief deputy Michael Crabtree.
The vacated sheriff’s building, meanwhile, will be home to the offices of two jail lieutenants. Moving offices and administration out of the jail is needed, said jail administrator Rich Rolfe, explaining that his former office will be used as storage for equipment and uniform items that “are currently spread far and wide.”
Of the two other vacated offices, one will be converted to a law library that can be used for meetings between attorneys and clients or other meetings with inmates.
“This will free up space in the first floor of the jail where meeting space is always at a premium,” Rolfe said.
The second office, which has equipment that can’t be accessed by unsupervised inmates, will be used primarily by staff for online training, completing reports and meeting with shift supervisors.
The district attorney’s office, for its part, has seen a significant transition by way of the ARPA funds. The former office was demolished to make way for the new public safety building and the former Talbot & Talbot Law office building was purchased and refurbished at a cost of $229,227, with another approximately $40,000 remaining in costs, said county treasurer Jill Holmes.
While refurbishing old houses is one method of gaining administrative space, Gray said it isn’t ideal as older buildings require more upkeep. The new ARPA building, she said, is a significant investment in the future.
“We’re very excited to say this project is still within budget, utilizing solely ARPA funds. We’ll all be grateful when the project is finished,” she said.
The county also invested $366,044 of ARPA funds into new Motorola software to provide reliable dispatch service via the RCC.
