POLL CLOSED - How should the Wallingford Town Council move on the Police Station

Make a decision to move forward with the new construction on the Wooding-Caplan parcel but delay until after 2011

Make a decision to move forward with the construction of a satellite station or a precinct on the Wooding-Caplan parcel but delay until after 2011

Make a decision to move forward with the new construction on the Wooding-Caplan parcel in the next year to take advantage of cost savings

Make a decision to move forward with the construction of a satellite station or a precinct on the Wooding-Caplan parcel in the next year to take advantage of cost savings

Make a decision to revisit in three years to reassess the needs again

While this is no where near a scientific poll with just 11 respondents we can see that the majority of the people (10 of the 11 voters) chose “Make a decision to revisit in three years to reassess the needs again”

Only one person chose “Make a decision to move forward with the construction of a satellite station or a precinct on the Wooding-Caplan parcel but delay until after 2011”

Technorati Tags: Wallingford,Police Station,Wooding-Caplan,taxes

POLICE STATION FEASIBILITY STUDY NOVEMBER 2009

Report Prepared by Jacunski Humes Architects – DOWNLOAD PDF (8.71 MB file – please allow some time for the download).

Wallingford Police Department Request for Proposal (RFP without appendix) – DOWNLOAD PDF

Police Chief's Report to Mayor April 2007 – DOWNLOAD PDF

Technorati Tags: Police Station,Wooding-Caplan,Town Council

Wallingford Police Station needs assessment discussed at Council Meeting

The second to last item on the council agenda this week was the report out on the Police Station needs assessment and the possibility of building the new station on the Wooding-Caplan property.

Dave Moran from the Record Journal posted an article Humes gives Wallingford council final station report, advising against expansion on MyRecordJournal.com with all the details.

Click on the image to enlarge

The short summary:

• Jacunski Humes Architects of Berlin hired study the possibilities
• Expand the 28,117-square-foot station at 135 N. Main St
• Build a new structure on the Wooding-Caplan property.
• The Police Department's needs through 2030
• 47,000 square foot station
• 150 parking spaces
• The report estimates that a new station on the Wooding-Caplan parcel would cost the town $20.25 million, if construction were to begin next spring
• The price tag jumps to $23.69 million, if it were to begin in 2014, taking into account inflation of material and construction costs.
• Police Chief Douglas Dortenzio indicted that construction completion and occupancy would be three years from the start date
  

So bloggers – what are your thoughts?

The Chief indicated there is no practical way to manage a satellite station or a precinct in a town like Wallingford with a smaller population than a city like Hartford or New Haven. Do you agree with this?

The comment was also made that the current station is at its capacity and has "no growth room."

The Chief commented that the issue of an adequate facility for the Police Department versus the town's ability to pay for it is a question of priorities.

What should the town’s priorities be in this situation?

Should we defer construction for down the road when we might be in a better position to pay for it knowing that it will be more expensive or should we tighten that belt a little more and get started with the project while its a buyers market as far as construction, materials and labor goes?

Technorati Tags: budget,Police Station,council,taxes,Wooding-Caplan

Wallingford Town Council meets Tuesday

From the Record Journal’s Latest Headlines

WALLINGFORD - The Wallingford Town Council is scheduled to meet Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Robert Earley Auditorium of Town Hall, 45 S. Main St.

In addition to a public question and answer period, the agenda includes an item to accept more than $3 million in grant money through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to be applied to the School System's operating budget and a review of the final report regarding the Police Station Feasibility Study.

The town commissioned the architect firm of Jacunski Humes in June of 2008 for $67,000 to study the feasibility of either expanding the existing police station at 135 N. Main St. or building a new structure on the Wooding-Caplan property, a 3.5 acre parcel the town purchased in 1992 for $1.5 million.

In the final report, filed last week with the town, Brian W. Humes, a partner in the firm, advises against attempting to expand the existing station. Humes estimates a new 47,000-square foot station on the Wooding-Caplan parcel would cost the town anywhere from $20.25 million, if construction were to begin in the spring of 2010, to $23.69 million, if construction took place in 2014.

Technorati Tags: Wallingford,Council,Wooding-Caplan,Police Station