Falmouth town meeting removes police-station site at Long Pond, approves conservation protections for adjacent parcels

Town meeting included a contentious discussion of Articles 23 and 24 concerning the property at 484 Brookhillon, which had been an original proposed site for a new police station. Officials said concerns about proximity to Long Pond — the town’s main water supply — led the select board to favor an alternate site at 100 Brookhillon.

Committee member said town meeting voted overwhelmingly to place the 484 Brookhillon parcel into conservation and that an additional petitioners’ article (supported by the local 300 Committee land trust and Vicky Lowell) advanced protections for roughly 14 adjacent parcels surrounding the pond. Officials described the move as a measure to protect water purity and to remove doubt about future development on those parcels.

Nut graf: The decisions reflect a prioritization of drinking-water protection and conservation after public scrutiny of the originally proposed police-station location.

Speakers noted the 300 Committee celebrated its 40th anniversary by advancing land-protection efforts and that founders such as Vicky Lowell and Eric Turkington were recognized at town meeting.

The town manager and committee participants said the conservation votes ensure Long Pond’s water quality will be better protected and that the police station will proceed at the alternate 100 Brookhillon site. Specific vote counts were not provided in the meeting excerpt.