By Lauren Takores
Record-Journal staff
WALLINGFORD — The Town Council on Tuesday night approved the purchase of 100 Barnes Road to renovate for a new police headquarters.
The council approved the purchase contract — the town negotiated a price of $1.76 million for the building and property — by a vote of 7 to1.
Councilor Christina Tatta voted against the purchase. Councilor Gina Morgenstein was absent.
The council also voted 7 to 1, with Tatta again voting no, to spend $3.3 million to fund the purchase and a design study.
The project includes not only the building renovation, but an addition for new sally port — a carport structure for a fleet of police vehicles — and a six lane firearms training range, Police Chief William Wright said during the meeting.
The total cost, including soft costs and contingency, is estimated at $24 million, Wright said.
Built in 1978, the one-story office building at 100 Barnes Road — formerly occupied by 3M — is 41,129 square feet and sits on 9.22 acres, according to town records.
Tatta said she sees a “huge benefit” in keeping the police station, 135 N. Main St., at its current downtown location.
"I would hope that we could get a little more creative with the property we own behind the current department,” she said, “and maybe do a separate building and have two different buildings on the same property.”
She also said she believes construction and building supplies costs are much higher.
"I don't know if that's factored into the prices we have currently, or if...we ran into something that we would postpone these renovations," she said.
Other councilors were in favor of the purchase.
Councilor Craig Fishbein said that since a lot of police activity is centered around Route 5, “getting it (the police station) close to the Route 5 and that area seems to make sense.”
The police don't necessarily dispatch vehicles from the station. Officers are dispatched from certain areas of town where they are assigned.
Councilor Vincent Testa said that the town needs to “equip our police department with a new facility, period.”
"I think a combination of the market, and availability of buildings and so forth, have provided you a perfect opportunity to find a building that will work for you," Testa said.
Councilor Tom Laffin said that although it seems like a lot of money to spend in a pandemic, “we knew this was coming for a while.”
“I know it sounds pricey,” Laffin said, “but it could have been worse, depending on where we had to purchase and what we had to build from scratch.”
The current police station is a former state armory constructed in 1920. Efforts to build a new police facility at its current location began in 2007.
Wright delivered a report to the Town Council in January 2020 identifying several issues with the current facility, including parking congestion, inadequacy of the sally port, need to bring the cell blocks up to building code, the need for more locker room space, more evidence storage and bigger offices.
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