FARMINGTON – Consultants with Bunker & Savage Architects presented a possible solution to the local police department’s space woes Thursday evening, with plans detailing a 9,500 square foot police station on High Street.
The presentation was made to the police station space needs committee, as well as some members of the public. That committee formed to find a solution to the chronic space shortages of the Farmington Police Department, which currently use roughly 1,500 square feet of the town municipal building.
Architect Craig Boone stressed that the plans were preliminary, and were the fifth or sixth version of the project created so far.
“Nothing’s set in stone, so to speak,” he said.
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Architect Craig Boone stressed that the plans were preliminary, and were the fifth or sixth version of the project created so far. |
The facility would be constructed on land that used to contain the Highway Department’s garage, between Routes 2 & 4 and High Street. The building would have a single main entrance for the public, controlled by a secured receptionist area. The building also features more office space, an exercise room and showers, more evidence storage, a two-car garage and a 70-person conference room.
“That could be used for training, conferences or for community uses as well,” Boone said, noting that the room’s access was near the main entrance.
Police Chief Richard Caton III said that the larger conference room could be used to host nationally-renowned trainers for several departments, with the town of Farmington getting to train some of its personnel without paying the tuition.
The building would be heated by a geothermal system and would also house an emergency generator for power outages. The current plan calls for 69 parking spaces, and provides some space for expansion should that be needed.
Boone estimated that the project would cost “more than $2 million” to complete.
Town Manager Richard Davis said that he thought any project of that size would likely be funded through a bond. Davis noted that Farmington currently has practically no debt, having almost paid off the sewer facility bond, and maintains an ‘A’ rating, allowing access to favorable rates.
Resident William Crandall was concerned with the proposal, saying that he was worried that other options hadn’t been adequately explored. He also noted that should the department begin sharing services through regionalization or consolidation, the facility may fall by the wayside.
“I’m just concerned that the future of policing is down that road,” he said, “with the economics being what they are. This is going to be a big expense for the town.”
Davis and Selectman Chair Stephan Bunker said that several other ideas had been considered. The architects of Bunker & Savage had looked into modifying the existing municipal building, but found that the concrete-block facility difficult to alter cheaply. The committee also looked at leasing property, either the old Rite Aid building or the old Nickerson structure, but were put off by the high lease prices.
“This has been a process, a deliberative planning process,” Bunker said.
Both selectmen Nancy Porter and Jon Bubier had concerns with the plan, mostly around the facility not having enough room to expand.
“I still feel this lot is woefully small for what we’re trying to do,” Bubier said. He did agree that some solution needed to be found.
The committee will continue to meet and develop a plan, while the architects look at exterior elevation drawings, showing the outside of the building, and what materials might work. Davis said that the building would not appear at this year’s town meeting, but would likely be voted on in a referendum.
In the end, Caton said, the final plan would need to be in the best interests of Farmington.
“It’s the community’s police department,” he said. “Not my department, not the officers’ department, it’s the community’s department. We need to think about what’s best for them.”
