Public Safety Updates: New Fire Chief Appointed, Temp Police Station
Chief Browne will begin in January; temporary police station opens first week of November
The Select Board at their meeting this week appointed a new fire chief in light of the upcoming retirement of Andrew Connerty, who was appointed in 2022. Town Administrator John Danizio says the town started the hiring process early, considering Assistant Chief Steve Mclean is also retiring in 2026.
Danizio described the hiring process, which involved sending five candidates through a set of assessments, a written and oral presentation, and other practical exercises to demonstrate how they would handle several real-world situations.
In the end, though the interview panel said any of the five candidates would make a successful Chief, Captain James Browne had the highest score coming out of the interview process and was chosen for appointment.
Danizio said Browne, a 28-year veteran of the department, demonstrates the qualities the town looks for in department leaders. Browne will begin as Chief in earnest in January 2026.
In other public safety news, bids have been returned for the new police station building project, and the town will soon be sending out a notice of award. Danizio says the project will see "significant savings" over the original budget. There will be more updates at the November 3 Select Board meeting.
In anticipation of the construction, the Police Department will be moving into the temporary police station at the end of the month, starting with the dispatch system, and the move will be complete on November 3. There will be signage at both the new and old police station directing individuals to the correct place, and the department will also ensure the mapping platforms such as Google Maps, Waze, and others, have the correct location information to make the transition as seamless as possible.
The police station will maintain the same phone numbers: 911 for emergencies and 781-272-1212 for non-emergencies.
