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The Ridgefield Police and Fire Station Facilities no longer meet the evolving needs of the Ridgefield's Emergency Departments, community, or First Responders. A Feasibility Study was conducted and recommended joint public safety headquarters.
The outdated infrastructure of the current Police and Fire headquarters poses several challenges and limitations which significantly impact emergency response capabilities and overall public safety. The needs of Ridgefield’s Emergency Departments have grown and changed with the times and their facilities have been pushed to the limit. They no longer meet the needs of our community or our First Responders.
The proposed new Public Safety Facility will offer access to adequate space, modern technologies, ADA compliant accessibility, improved operating costs, and an eco-friendly infrastructure that is clean, green and financially responsible. A new facility is an investment in the current and future safety needs of our community and reinforces the Town of Ridgefield’s commitment to serving and protecting its residents, businesses and visitors. Our goal is to create a facility that will meet both our current needs and future growth while maximizing efficiency and minimizing costs.
The Old Quarry Campus represents an ideal and comprehensive location for a combined Police and Fire headquarters’ facility. Careful assessments and insightful measures have been considered during the design process in order to create an optimal environment configured for efficient service to the community and safe incident response by our First Responders.
The History
Since the construction of the Police and Fire buildings in 1890 and 1909, the population of Ridgefield has grown by tenfold.
That rapid population growth created the need to increase the number of First Responders, safety response vehicles, and technologies. Yet there have been only two renovations to each building, in 1965 at the Fire Department and 1975 at the Police Department. Aside from those additions and minor updates and adjustments, these buildings have remained essentially the same for the last century.
Today, our police department has 44 sworn officers with 6 additional civilian employees and 24 vehicles. Our fire department is a “combination” department meaning the Town is covered by both career and volunteer firefighters. Currently, there are 38 career firefighters, one civilian employee, and 50 trained volunteer firefighters. The department has 3 Engines, 2 Water Tankers, 1 Heavy Duty Rescue Truck, 1 Ladder Truck, 3 Ambulances, and 5 additional Emergency Response vehicles. Our centralized 911 dispatch center has 8 dispatchers.
Fortunately, Fire Station Number 2 on Old Stagecoach Road in the Ridgebury area, remains well-placed to serve the needs of the northern part of our Town.
The Planning Process
The need for new facilities has been long recognized. Planning began in 2008 with a proposal to expand the existing Police building but was postponed in light of the economic environment during the global financial crisis.
Since then, minor adjustments made to both the Police and Fire facilities have acted as “band aids” to the bigger issue. Today we are at a breaking point and it is no longer possible to keep kicking the can down the road.
In 2019, a feasibility study and needs assessment was performed on the Police and Fire buildings by the architectural firm of Kaestle Boos Associates (KBA), funded by a $60,000 budget appropriation. KBA’s assessment reinforced the need for a new joint public safety facility.
Numerous locations were considered as possible sites capable of housing a combined Fire/Police facility, eventually narrowed down to seven.[1] After extensive research and discussion, it was concluded that the Town-owned former Schlumberger property on Old Quarry Road is the best option.
In 2021, voters approved an additional appropriation, this time for $360,000, to move forward with a schematic building design from KBA. The design process has been thorough and extensive, with careful consideration given to every detail. The proposed facility is crafted to meet present needs while also providing for anticipated growth in the future.
Investment Economics
(The project gross cost, potential offsets to project costs, and borrowing for planning purposes)
The project cost includes design, site prep work, and the construction of the building.
Because the Town already owns the Old Quarry Road property, there is no cost for acquisition and no property will be taken off the tax rolls.
Throughout the design process, the Town has worked extensively with KBA to minimize costs without inhibiting the needs of the departments in their service to the Town.
Estimated project cost: $75 million plus
Potential Offsets:
Offset from possible Federal grants
Offset from possible State grants
Offset from possible Private grants
Offset from the possible sale of the current police headquarters
Offset from the possible sale of the current fire headquarters
The 7 potential site descriptions can be found in appendix A.
The Town will pursue and apply for Federal[1], State, and Private grants to potentially offset costs of the new facility.
The Town is also exploring potential future uses for the existing Fire and Police headquarters buildings which may provide additional offsets. Mindful of the historic and aesthetic value of the existing buildings and the Catoonah Street and East Ridge Road streetscapes, no disposition of these two properties has yet been determined.
[1] The Town has already applied for a Congressional Directed Spending Grant for this project.
Payment and Borrowing/Bonding
The plan is NOT to ask taxpayers to pay for the project all up front, but instead to borrow and to spread-out the payment for the project over 20 or 25 years (through paying back the borrowing/bonding over 20 or 25 years). Again, as is common with municipal facilities, the plan would not be to pay for the entire project in a single year, but instead borrow to pay for the project and then repay the borrowing over a 20- or 25-year time period.
Ridgefield was recently recognized as the Safest City in America for 2023 (Neighborhood Scout)[2], an honor our First Responders take pride in and strive to uphold by continually serving the public with dedication, compassion and integrity. Together, the Police and Fire Departments are committed to maintaining a safe and caring community. Sustaining that record requires a safe and efficient work environment and a new Public Safety Facility.