Commissioners’ tour of sheriff’s office was an ‘eye-opener’

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — During the past two decades, major improvements have been made to the Piscataquis County jail, courthouse and county administrative offices.
    Left behind, however, was the sheriff’s office.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    TIGHT SQUEEZE — The stairway to Sheriff John Goggin’s office is steep and narrow.

    “It was an eye-opener for all of us,” said Interim County Manager Tom Lizotte,” recapping a tour of the facility last month with the county commissioners. “We have a rabbit warren of small rooms, narrow hallways and steep stairs with very little headroom, and storage space that’s primitive, at best.”
    Lizotte noted that when people work in an environment for so long “you stop noticing things. But when you go there with a fresh perspective, you can’t help but shake your head.” Commissioner James Annis agreed. “I did a lot of head-shaking.”
    The Piscataquis County sheriff’s office, like those of many other counties, was designed in the late-1880s with an upstairs apartment since the sheriff was required to live on the premises. Sheriff John Goggin’s office is in one of the rooms of the old apartment, accessible only through a narrow hallway and up a steep staircase.
    The squad room, often shared by three or four deputies, is cramped with little or no privacy for interviews.
    But the major questions were how to solve the problem and at what cost.
    Architect Vicky Wolfertz of Monson, who worked as the county’s agent during the 2011-12 courthouse expansion, accompanied Lizotte, Chief Deputy Robert Young and Lt. Jamie Kane on a second tour on Jan. 31. “As I recall, she said ‘Oh, my’ quite a few times,” Lizotte said. “Clearly, it’s not suitable for a 21st century law enforcement office.”
    Wolfertz has offered to create a basic, schematic drawing of what an office might look like along with a rough cost estimate and bring it to a future commissioners’ meeting.
    Lizotte noted that the county bought the so-called Smith lot in the late 1990s, which was a house lot at the corner of East Main and School streets. “It’s not ideal because it’s away from the existing sheriff’s office,” he said. “But when you look at other sites with much more excavation required or ledge removal, this would drive the cost up.”
    A bill pending in the current session of the legislature would, if passed, allow counties to issue bonds without a public referendum, based on the state valuation of the county.
    But Piscataquis County, with only 17,000 residents, has the smallest valuation among the state’s 16 counties. So the maximum amount that could be borrowed under the formula would be around $236,000. “Can you build a new sheriff’s office for $236,000? I’d be surprised if the answer was yes,” Lizotte said.
    Commissioners did agree to solve one problem immediately, however. The sheriff’s department will set up a secure storage area in the county office basement where there’s a lot more room.
    Goggin said that he’s pleased that he’s not the “lone voice in the wilderness anymore. I’d certainly like to see something done during my tenure and pass it on to my successor so they have a decent place to work in.”
    The next scheduled county commissioners’ meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 8:30 a.m.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    CRAMPED QUARTERS — The sheriff’s department squad room has limited space and little room for interviewing complainants or suspects.