WELLS — Seeking tours of the facilities, Wells residents streamed through the doors of the public safety buildings throughout the day on Sunday during the Wells Fire and Police Departments’ open house.

The event was held to allow Wells citizens the chance to meet their first responders, but also outline the building’s crammed spacing and the struggles associated with operating on a daily basis in the small area. Residents will get the chance on June 13 on whether to approve bond for more than $14 million to construct a new Public Safety building, to house both the Police and Fire Departments, as well as a new fire substation to replace two existing substations.

The turnout on Sunday was far greater than expected, according to Wells Fire Chief Wayne Vetre, adding that lunch items like hamburgers and hot dogs provided for the event were gone quickly.

“The participation was phenomenal, it was great to see the outpouring of support from our neighbors,” Vetre said.

The deficiencies of Wells Public Safety buildings on U.S. Route 1 — constructed during the 1960s — have for years been a subject of discussion with both Vetre and Wells Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam. Both have expressed the need for new, more modern facilities.

“We’ve always made due with what we’ve had,” Putnam said. “This (potential new building)  has been a longtime coming though, it’s very much needed. It’s an unsafe building for at least operations.”

In the Police Station, the lockers within the changing area double as evidence lockers, and the building has only two restrooms for officers to use, which is shared with prisoners. Additionally, the booking room doubles as a probation office.

The Fire Station isn’t as crammed as the Police Station, but it hardly suffices, said Vetre.

“There’s an undeniably shortage of space, and it creates huge inefficiencies,” Vetre said. “We virtually have no storage, no place to sit down and train formally, it all equates to a file storage issue and a list that goes on and on.”

Now after years of planning, residents will vote on a referendum for a 20-year bond — worth $14.2 million — to construct a new combined public safety building behind the existing structures on U.S. Route 1, as well as a fire substation on land owned by the town on Route 109 across from Bragdon Road. The referendum is to appear on the Town Meeting ballot on June 13.

Until then, Putnam said they will continue to make due with the facilities they have, adding she was thrilled to see residents participating by attending the open house and getting informed.

“I’m glad people have been taking the time to come out and see and are ready to make an informed decision at the polls,” Putnam said.

Residents who would like a tour of the current public safety buildings before the Town Meeting are encouraged to contact Vetre or Putnam to set up a time.

“If people contact me or Chief Putnaam we would be more than happy to give them a tour,” Vetre said. “We want to get the word out that we’re in need of these facilities.”

— Staff Writer Ryder Schumacher can be reached at 282-1535, or via email at rschumacher@journaltribune.com.