Letter to the Editor: The Proposed Police Station is Not Right for Ledyard

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by Eric Treaster:

Ledyard and our Police Officers need and deserve a better police station. The important questions are if the proposed “new construction” police station and its location adjacent to the Town Hall are satisfactory and necessary and if its maximum cost of $6.75M, at $546/square foot, is reasonable and affordable?

Our existing police station has excellent parking, modern windows, an excellent roof, and a recently installed set of expensive solar-electric panels, which the town would not have approved if the building had limited remaining lifespan.  There has been little population increase, little economic growth, no plans to increase the authorized number of police officers, and no allegations that a new police station would provide improved public safety. 

The existing police station is too small, unattractive, has heating, cooling, emergency generator, and septic system problems that must be addressed, and it suffers from flooding during severe storms. The building has inadequate file storage space, does not comply with the handicapped laws, and has no prisoner transfer or holding facilities – which may become a future requirement.

The design guidelines for the location of the proposed police station adjacent to the Town Hall requires that new construction support the growth and development of Ledyard Center as a “traditional New England Village”.  The regulations limit the types of lighting, building design, roof materials, window selection, exterior siding materials, size, and mass of the structure, exterior colors, signage, and landscaping of the project, which will increase costs. The Architectural Review Board (ARB) will likely recommend the police station include a costly brick facade to assure compatibility with the Town Hall.  It may be costly to screen the emergency generator, or to hide a new police communications tower. The location requires acquisition of land for parking, but there is no agreement regarding its availability or cost. The location requires the demolition of the Town Engineer’s office, but there are no plans or cost estimates for his new office.  The location will require a new septic system.

Because the width of the proposed police station will be greater than the width of the Town Hall, it will have the appearance of being the larger building.  The ARB may recommend the mass of the police station appear smaller than the mass of the Town Hall – which would require costly design changes. 

A benefit of the proposed location is that it will require demolition of the abandoned fire station next to Town Hall.  The old fire station is an eyesore that should be demolished – but it can be demolished without a $6.75M police station.  Benefits, if any, for having a visible police “presence” adjacent to the Town Hall are not sufficient to justify the proposed location. 

Although a new police station would help, it would not create a significant improvement in the appearance of the overall Town Center unless there is better compliance with the town’s blight, junk, and sign regulations and ordinances.  

If cost, median emergency response time, and room for future growth are the criteria, then Gales Ferry School, which has good parking, a good roof, good windows, public water, and a new septic system, would be the quickest and least costly solution to the need for a replacement police station.

In my opinion there are (a) no significant benefits and too much risk associated with the proposed location next to the Town Hall, (b) it should not be necessary to spend as much as $6.75M at $546 per square foot to satisfy the need for a better police station, (c) the “need”, while urgent, does not justify overspending, and (d) we can do better.  Approval of the $6.75M bond authorization will send a message that, even though our taxes are one of the highest in the area, more taxes are ok.  We should not send that message. I urge a “no” vote on Tuesday, May 21st for the authorization of bonding for the proposed new police station in Ledyard Center.

Eric Treaster