A proposal to construct a new police station at 191 South Main Street, about 2.7 miles south of the existing police station at 3 Main Street, has gained site development plan approval from the Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z), following a public hearing.

At the July 18 session, P&Z members unanimously voted to approve the new station, a $15.1-million project whose creation will involve the renovation and expansion of an office building formerly used by The Taunton Press. The site is on the northern corner of South Main Street and Ethan Allen Road. Voting in favor of the project were P&Z Chairman Don Mitchell, Jim Swift, Corinne Cox, Barbara Manville, and Roy Meadows.

In August 2018, P&Z members, in their role as the town’s planning agency, unanimously endorsed the concept of converting the vacant office building into a new police station and also backed spending public money on such a project.

The town has hired Kaestle Boos Associates of New Britain to design the project for the 11.74-acre site. Besides the 7.35-acre 191 South Main Street property, where the office building is located, the town owns the abutting 4.39-acre 61 Pecks Lane.

Architect Scott Mangiagli, and landscape architects Eric Roise and Greg Wilson, all of Kaestle Boos, spoke at the July 18 P&Z session, explaining the firm’s design of the police station project.

Mr Wilson said that pricing was a major concern during the project, adding that alternate design plans were created with that issue in mind.

Mr Mangiagli explained that public utilities that formerly served the building would remain in place, but the building’s interior would be gutted and reorganized. A building expansion area would hold a secure garage, or sally port, which is used in the transport of prisoners; several prisoner holding cells; and some evidence storage space, Mr Mangiagli said.

The construction project will involve the 21,687-square-foot former private office building’s physical conversion into a municipal police station. The project would add 3,654 square feet of enclosed space to the 1981 structure, bringing the building up to 25,341 square feet, or an almost 17 percent increase in area.

The building will get a new roof. Also, a new septic tank will be installed for its septic system. Although the area is served by the Aquarion Water Company’s public water supply, it does not have access to municipal sanitary sewers.

Public Comment

During the public comment section of the public hearing, resident Robert Hall of Nettleton Avenue told P&Z members that he owns real estate at 54 Pecks Lane, which lies across Pecks Lane from the town-owned 61 Pecks Lane.

Mr Hall said he has reviewed the wellhead protection mapping produced by the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, noting that the local wellhead protection area extends northward to the police station site. That mapping is based on the location of Aquarion’s public water supply wells at 219 South Main Street, about 1,800 feet southeast of the police station site.

Mr Hall said he favors the police station project, but added the police station site also is within the town’s Aquifer Protection District (APD), based on the content of the town’s Geographic Information System. The P&Z created the APD in 2000 as an overlay zone to protect the water quality of the underlying Pootatuck Aquifer, the town’s sole source aquifer, which is the source of two public water supplies and widespread individual domestic water wells.

Mr Mitchell said he will review the PURA wellhead protection mapping as it relates to the police station site.

Town Deputy Planning Director Rob Sibley said on July 22 that although the site is in the APD, the police station application does not require an aquifer protection assessment.

“The application does not require an [aquifer] assessment review under our regulations due to the existence of public water [at the site], and lack of discharge from an existing building of any hazardous material,” Mr Sibley said.

Robert Mitchell, chairman of the Public Building & Site Commission, told P&Z members that a group of commission members has been working closely with Kaestle Boos staffers for about a year. The commission is happy with how the project is progressing, he said.

Charles Zukowski of Cornfield Ridge Road suggested that the police department in the future create an emergency access to 191 South Main Street through the abutting town-owned 61 Pecks Lane.

By huge margins, voters at referendums in April 2017 and in November 2018 approved spending $300,000 and $14.8 million, respectively, for basic plans, and then for property acquisition, detailed architectural plans, and construction of the police station.

Site work at the property will include resurfacing the parking lot and creating a new dedicated parking area for police vehicles. Of the planned 91 parking spaces, 63 spaces would be designated for police use. Also, a police access drive would link the site to Ethan Allen Road. Police occupancy is expected by October 2020.

The new police station would provide suitable modern facilities for the 45-member police department. Police officials say the existing police station at Town Hall South at 3 Main Street is cramped and outdated. The existing police station, which has been in use for about 40 years, formerly served as an agricultural equipment dealership.