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Police Stations come and police stations go. Last year, a builder demolished a home on East Central Street that reportedly belonged to the town's first full-time police officer in the 1870s or 1880s. The home WAS the police station and a shack in back reportedly served as the town lockup.
At some point after that, the police station was in the basement of the now demolished Morse theater on the corner of Main and Summer Streets, across from what was once Brown's gas station. East Street (mistakenly described as West Street in yesterday's report), came next. And then Panther Way.
Now, the quest is on to find a new address. And the right approach to cost-effective construction.
Different Towns, Different Solutions
Building a police station and getting it right can be a challenging task. Indeed, a guidebook (https://www.theiacp.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/Police_Facilities_Planning_Guidelines.pdf) on the subject published by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, notes, “Since the useful life of a police facility can range from 20 to over 50 years, a new facility project is typically a “first-time” experience for most law enforcement executives.”
So, it makes sense to look for published guidance, like the above mentioned “Police Facility Planning Guidelines.”
Looking at communities that are similar to Franklin and with recent or ongoing police station projects can also be instructive, especially since there is considerable divergence in the style and approach, with some keeping facilities in a congested town center and others banishing public safety folks to less congested areas or, as in Provincetown, to a site adjacent to Route 6, the largest highway in the region.
Still others, including neighboring Medway, are opting to combine projects, creating in their case a police/fire and town hall structure.
Below are some examples with a few details and narrative. Note that most information came directly from municipal websites but its completeness or accuracy could not always be ascertained.
SHARED USE FACILITIES
Ashland, MA
Cost: $30 million (Supposedly under the original $36 million estimate)
Town Area: 12.39 sq miles
Town Population: 18,832
The 42,000-square-foot facility opened March 14, 2023 at 12 Union St., providing a new combined home to the town's Police and Fire Departments. Ashland began exploring the possibility of a public safety building in 2008, or even earlier, but for various reasons, nothing came of it until 2017. On the fire side, the new building has bays large enough for modern fire apparatus, as well as separate areas to store equipment. There will also be larger living areas, separate eating areas as well as a report-writing area and meeting rooms. The training room will hold 50 people, will be shared by both the Police and Fire Departments as well as a new, shared gym with new equipment.
A 278-page planning document clarifies the needs Ashland identified as well as the lengthy examination of sites. Ashland is divided by an MBTA line, with limited crossing points, so this was a major consideration. The document can be found here: https://www.ashlandmass.com/DocumentCenter/View/5708/LAND-FEASIBILITY-FINAL-REPORT-2018-06-19
Hingham
Cost: $50.4 million (including land purchase)
Town area: 26.3 sq miles
Population: 24,284
The Hingham Public Safety Facility (PSF) under development will combine the Hingham Police Station (currently at Town Hall) and North Fire Station (currently at 230 North Street) into a state-of-the-art facility at 335 Lincoln Street that will better meet the needs of modern police and fire departments. The new PSF will be three stories high and approximately 48,920 s.f. with an exterior façade that reflects the industrial and nautical history of the Hingham Shipyard. The roof will be flat and the massing of the building will be consistent with the size of the buildings in the Shipyard area. The project includes the construction of a 2-level parking facility with approximately 94 spaces for the use of the Police and Fire Departments, as well as additional parking for the public. The design of the PSF incorporates the use of mechanical and electric systems that will utilize “clean” energy sources to power the building wherever feasible.
In 2015, Town Meeting created a Fire Station Building Committee. At a Special Town Meeting in November 2020, the Town authorized the expenditure of $5,525,000 to purchase the 335 Lincoln Street parcel for the development of a combined Police Headquarters and Fire Station. In November 2022, the Town authorized up to $46.7 million to construct, equip, and furnish the new Public Safety Facility at 335 Lincoln Street.
The project will be funded through a debt exclusion that was approved by both Special Town Meeting on November 1, 2022 and by the voters at the November 8, 2022 election. The Town is working with Hill International (OPM), Kaestle Boos Associates (architect), and Colantonio, Inc. (general contractor) to build the facility. Construction will start in June 2023 and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025. The Town also scored $1.7 million in help from the Federal government thanks to Congressman Lynch.
Medway (Combined Police, Fire, and Municipal office facility)
Cost: $8 milion authorized for study and engineering, Final cost unknown
Town area: 29,9 sq miles
Population: 13,100
Medway is planning to construct a new Public Safety (Police and FIre)/Town Hall Municipal Complex. The proposed new complex at 120 Main Street aligns with the vision of a vibrant, walkable Medway, where essential municipal services are easily accessible. It’s a logical step toward building a thriving community hub. Much of the funding is expected to come from a community host agreement for a giant battery storage facility that straddles the Bellingham-Medway line.
Watch the video on YouTube here
POLICE STATION ONLY PROJECTS
Lexington – Free Standing Police Station –
Cost: $35 Million
Town Area: 16.5 sq miles
Town Population; 34,454
The prior building was designed to support a community that was about 70% of the size of the current population and generated half as many calls in a year as it does now. That structure had been renovated several times over the past 50 years to squeeze more useful space out of the existing plan. About 400 square feet of additional space was added in the form of two shipping containers for storage use.Lexington is still appropriating funds to install parking canopies with rooftop solar panels and battery storage. Those additions are projected to cost another $3.4 million, bringing the total cost of the project up to $38.5 million.
The 2022 presentation to the Lexington Selectboard is here: https://www.lexingtonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1033/February-7-2022-Architect-Presentation-to-the-Select-Board-PDF
Provincetown
Cost: $17 million
Town area: 17.5 sq miles
Town Population:3,664 (permanent) Summer population est:60,000
Since 1986, Provincetown Police Department has used a former funeral home with an apartment upstairs as its headquarters. The building dates back to 1975 and has long been deemed inadequate as a public facility for the Town’s law enforcement. Deficiencies, building code violations, and even periodic flooding have plagued the old police station, in addition to its inability to accommodate modern communication equipment; however, the location, cost, and design of a new police headquarters had been a sore point of contention for almost a decade.
Passed by Town Meeting voters, the new Provincetown Police Station completed in Spring 2024 is a 13,900-sf two-story building that helps law enforcement officers to better serve the people of Provincetown. Because of its prominent location on Route 6, the main highway through which most visitors enter the town, the new Provincetown Police Station is designed to represent our Outer Cape community. For example, the incorporation of cedar shingles and board and batten sea walls is key to articulating the civic identity of the building.
Q&A Document: https://www.provincetown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14647/Police-Department-Building-Project-QA-Jan-2022
