Could the question of declaring the former police station on Dunnell Road a historic landmark come up again when the Planning Board this week takes up the issue of the building on Tuesday?

Probably not since the Township Committee last year nixed the idea after the Historic Preservation Commission proposed it.

But Planning Board Chairman Tom Carlson says the idea of preserving the former building when the site is renovated for its next use will probably come up Tuesday when the commission formally discusses the recent TC action to designate the site as an area "in need of rehabilitation." That designation gives the township more control over how to proceed with the site, which has so far seen four different ideas put forth for its next life.

"I think there would be some who would see it as something to have historic preservation," said Carlson. "The clear possibility is that they move to raze the building and have a project that would build something new there." He said he did not believe there would be a major debate about it, but described the board's discussion on Tuesday as in line with "the public need."

He added that the discussion "could take one of two paths -- if we take a narrow constructionist view, we can open it up and have a wide-ranging discussion. I don't think it will be contentious."

Virginia Kurshan, chair of the Historic Preservation Commission, stressed that her group still believes "it is an historic building." Built in 1931, she said "it is really an important part of Maplewood's history."

But stating that only one of the current proposals for the building site includes keeping the structure, even she did not expect it to be saved.