"We do believe it's time to move forward with a new facility."

That was the assertion of Newtown Police Chief James Viadero when he appeared before the Legislative Council December 7 ahead of planned discussions on future large-scale capital spending. The presentation was among several items of business on the council agenda, along with deliberation on whether to raise the first selectman's salary.

Chief Viadero supported his request to keep planned capital borrowing in the town's five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). A PowerPoint report the local department produced showcased other recent police department building projects in Wethersfield and Farmington.

His presentation opened with reasoning behind why a new police headquarters is needed.

According to the chief, over the past 17 years the town has conducted and paid for three space need assessments; 1999, 2008, and 2015. All three of these studies result in the same conclusion - that the current facility is inadequate for current staffing and space needs, not to mention future growth of the agency.

The projections detailed the following concerns:

*Space deficiencies; restrooms, offices, storage, equipment, etc.

*Fire, electrical, ADA codes, HVAC as well as technology deficiencies, which do not meet current standards.

*Parking deficiencies.

*Current facility and property are inadequate for upgrade or expansion.

*Security deficiencies.

*Officer safety issues.

*State and federal mandates continue to put stress on the agency and space requirements.

*Current facility is in need of major repairs; dilapidated siding, leaks, HVAC, septic, ADA compliance, etc.

Reviewing the department's history and growth since 1980, the chief reminded council members that the current police department facility is an old tractor barn, which was converted 36 years ago to be used as a police department. At that time, there were 25 sworn officers and three support staffers.

The emergency dispatch and communications center was not then located within that facility as it is today, he added. Flashing forward to 2016, Newtown's police headquarters houses 45 sworn officers, five support staff members, and 13 dispatch personnel - more than doubling occupation of that same building before considering Social Services, Parks & Recreation, and registrars of voters storage also utilize most of the building's lower level.

As a barometer of comparison, Chief Viadero detailed how Newtown provides 8,540 square feet of space for its police headquarters compared to the new Wethersfield facility, which tops out at about 25,000 square feet.

Turning to outside limitations, the chief explained there is inadequate parking for staff, department, and visitor vehicles; no covered parking for department vehicles or secure parking for department or staff vehicles; and those limited parking areas are shared by three town departments.

He then ran council members step-by-step through interior deficiencies, with particular attention to both officer and visitor safety. Currently, he said Newtown's police headquarters only offers one room that is used for multiple purposes including roll call, training, conferences, a break room, evidence processing, firearms cleaning, meetings, and visitors.

That same common area is also used to interview suspects, witnesses, victims, and processing prisoners, lacking privacy and confidentiality. Along with that challenge, the department's records division occupies a crammed 10-by-30-foot space, which affords both insufficient and insecure space for the growing archive of information the department must have on hand.

Chief Viadero told council members that the similarly sized communications center's electrical and computer infrastructure needs improvement, and provides no flexibility for growth to meet the department's and the town's needs. In addition, the communications center's computer server room is maxed out and currently has HVAC deficiencies.

Consistent Recommendations

Upon completing his virtual tour of the rest of the police operations, Chief Viadero closed by reviewing a number of facility reports dating back to 1999, when several urgent space needs were identified. He said by 2005, a subsequent study also affirmed that for various reasons, it would be impossible to renovate or expand to meet the department's growing needs, and address the significant deficiencies at Town Hall South.

In closing, he strongly encouraged all council members who have yet to visit and tour the existing facility do so, in order to view concerns and challenges first-hand.

As discussion turned back to the CIP, First Selectman Pat Llodra reminded the council that the Board of Education had voted unanimously the previous evening to keep the middle school building for educational use. Mrs Llodra previously suggested if that facility reverted to town use, it could be considered for a new public safety, police, and communications center.

She told the council that it appears Fairfield Hills will now be the destination for the new police headquarters, likely on the site of Cochran House off Mile Hill Road South.

The first selectman said that site is the most appropriate location, since she did not want to position such a facility in the interior of the campus.

As discussion turned to anticipated costs, Chief Viadero referenced neighboring Bethel, which is paying $458 per square foot to complete its 24,000-square-foot police headquarters. He said the anticipated cost for the structure would be $13.5 million, before amenities.

That prompted council Chair Mary Ann Jacob to conclude that the $10 million earmarked for building construction in the proposed 2017 CIP "is not a realistic number."

Mrs Llodra defended that projection referring back to the protracted delay in getting a decision on the middle school, saying, "We needed to know where it was going to be and what it's going to be."

Councilman Ryan Knapp asked whether potential building demolition for Cochran House would be part of the new police headquarter's construction budget or separate. Mrs Llodra replied that there are separate earmarks in the CIP for Fairfield Hills building demolition.

Councilman George Ferguson said that Bethel budgeted $15 million in total to complete their new headquarters, and that developers are already over budget and trying to value engineer the project in progress to bring it in under budget.

Councilman Dan Honan asked whether a larger building means hiring more officers, but Chief Viadero said that the department is doing well with current staffing levels, and he has no plans for adding personnel to the force at this time.

Since no further CIP deliberation or action was planned for December 7, Ms Jacob closed the discussion for the time being, with an eye toward revisiting the department's request in the coming weeks as the council finalizes and approves the CIP and pending bonding for 2017-18 fiscal year projects.

First Selectman's Salary

Moving on to the subject of the first selectman's salary, Mr Ferguson, who chairs the council's Administrative and Finance Committee, made a motion to maintain the current $104,484 salary for another two years. He said it was the consensus of his committee that the current salary will permit Newtown to attract qualified candidates for its top elected office, and the figure is comparative to other similar communities in region.

Mrs Llodra reacted to the motion saying it sends a "terrible message" to all other town employees who have or will be receiving increases. She told the council that the first selectman's position is currently undercompensated and below the median salary level she said was borne out in data she provided to the committee.

Vice Chair Paul Lundquist responded to the motion saying he believed that even a dramatic increase - to $125,000 annually - would not affect or influence people who might consider running for the position.

Council member Judit DeStefano countered that the first selectman position demands a big sacrifice, saying that a candidate would have to leave another job.

"It's a lot of work," she added, "a zero [increase] doesn't seem like enough."

Councilman Tony Filiato said, "I don't think people run for First Selectman for the money. I don't think it's an issue."

Given the full council sentiment, Mr Ferguson said he was willing to withdraw his motion and send the subject back to committee. At that point Councilman Dan Wiedemann offered a motion to increase salary by two percent. That motion met with little further discussion, and a subsequent 8-3 vote approved a two percent salary increase effective the beginning of the next full first selectman's term, January 1, 2018.