A nonprofit group is resuming its fundraising drive to collect money that would be used to build a new police station for the 45-member town police department.

Town police have long sought new quarters to replace their existing facilities at 3 Main Street in the building known as Town Hall South.

Resident Scott Cicciari, a member of the Municipal Building Strategic Plan Committee, is spearheading the police station fund drive, which is mailing out a fundraising letter to about 11,200 local postal addresses, including residents and businesses.

The group’s target is raising $18 million for a new police station.

Although no location for a new police station has been designated, the Fairfield Hills core campus often has been mentioned as a possible site.

“For Newtown and its people, especially its police force, this is the most worthy cause I can think of at Thanksgiving,” Mr Cicciari said.

Mr Cicciari, who is president of the Newtown Police Building Fund, said, “We’ve been blessed by the sacrifice and service of the Newtown police, and we want to make sure they now finally have what they really need to do their jobs in the community they serve.”

Of the fundraising drive, First Selectman Pat Llodra said, “I believe that the current police facility located within Town Hall South is inadequate to serve the needs of our police force.

“The building design and layout was appropriate for its original purpose, tractor sales, but does not support well the workings of a modern police force,” she said.

“The building houses three other functions — communications, Parks and Recreation offices, and Social Services,” she added.

The Board of Selectmen identified this building as one of the first to be examined by the recently appointed municipal facilities study group, she said.

“There is no project plan in place that would address the need for an improved police facility. However, the current [Capital Improvement Plan] proposal includes funds that could begin to respond to a recommendation from the committee,” Mrs Llodra said.

“The fundraising outreach of newtownpolice.org is an effort of private citizens to help generate support for a new or improved building for our police department. I applaud their interest and their efforts to assist the department,” the first selectman added.

In 2008 Jacunski Humes Architects, LLC of Berlin performed a space needs for the police department.

The Newtown Police Building Fund building fund , publicizing the police department’s need for new facilities.started its fundraising drive in November 2013

Although the existing station is considered to be in a good central location for the police, the site’s expansion potential is limited.

In 2009, Police Commission members had discussed the prospects of building an almost 30,000-square-foot police station that would meet the police department’s space needs for more than 20 years.

In the town’s five-year Capital Improvement Plan, spending $500,000 for architectural planning/design work on a new police station is listed as an item for the 2017-18 fiscal year.