(Win Shepler, 3, traded shovels with Chief Matthew Clancy so he could help the police with constructing the new station.)

As bulldozers and front-end loaders chugged in the background, Duxbury’s finest, led by Police Chief Matthew Clancy, gathered last Friday to herald the start of construction of the new police station.

Before the ceremony got underway, chairman of the Public Safety Building Committee Andre Martecchini, who’s been working for years to build a safer, more efficient police station, pulled aside the site foreman and asked if the trucks could take a break while the local dignitaries spoke. “I don’t want to get a change order, though,” said Marteccheni, joking about the dreaded construction order that oftentimes delays projects at great cost.

Not to worry. So far, construction on the project is ahead of schedule and the new building is tentatively set to open two months early in January 2013.

Also attending the Friday event were Town Manager Richard MacDonald, Fire Chief Kevin Nord, Selectmen Shawn Dahlen and Ted Flynn, Library Director Carol Jankowski, and members of the building committee and the police department. All wore blue construction hats and held shiny new shovels as part of the ceremony. Doing double-duty was Officer Friend Weiler who drove a shuttle from the senior center to the site on Mayflower Street to the delight of little Win Shepler, 3, who brought his own shovel to help out the big guys.

The groundbreaking on the police station has been a long time coming. Both Clancy and MacDonald credited the building committee, led by Marteccheni, with being dogged in realizing the project.

“When I came here in 1996, I heard we needed a police station,” said MacDonald. “I want to thank the real heroes of (this project), the taxpayers.”

Clancy echoed MacDonald’s comments in thanking the community and noting the professionalism and dedication of the Building Committee.

“They made sure we got an efficient building and cost-effective building,” said Clancy. “Now we’re looking forward to bringing this project in on time and under budget.”