ROCHESTER — Town residents will have a chance to sit on a committee to advise the Rochester Select Board on the development of a possible new public safety complex. 

On Sept. 1, the board approved a plan for a committee that will be tasked with advising the board as it prepares a feasibility study for a possible new building to house the Rochester Police Department and Rochester Fire Department. 

The feasibility study will examine the practicality and possibility of constructing this new building, as well as the potential benefits to the town. 

This new committee will consist of: one member of the Select Board, the fire chief, the police chief, a member of the Finance Committee, the chair of the Planning Board, and the town administrator, who will be a non-voting member. 

Each member can also appoint an alternate to serve in their place. 

The committee will also include at least four town residents who are not affiliated with any public safety departments. 

“This is the single biggest project in this town other than the schools,” said Select Board Chair Greenwood Hartley III, who asked residents to join the committee. “You will play a very important role in defining what we need and when we need it.” 

Residents who are interested in joining the feasibility study committee can contact the town administrator at (508) 763-3871 for more information. 

The Select Board and the committee will see presentations of proposals for a new public safety building by three architectural firms, RGB Architects, LiRo Corp, and The Galante Architecture Studio, during a public meeting at the Council on Aging on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m.

According to the Select Board, the town set aside $100,000 for the feasibility study, while an additional $50,000 for the study will be allotted to the town from the state budget.