Politics & Government
Ridgefield Weighs Costs, Sizes for Police And Fire Facility Options
Ridgefield officials compared police and fire facility costs, building sizes and sites as public safety facilities planning continues.
RIDGEFIELD, CT — The committee studying Ridgefield’s future police and fire facilities continued comparing potential projects Thursday, focusing on building sizes, construction costs and how competing proposals can be evaluated using consistent assumptions.
The Public Safety Facilities Committee met Aug. 6 at the Town Hall Annex. Its posted agenda included a tentative recommendation from Vice Chair Adam Safir, updates on proposals and a possible executive session concerning privately owned real estate.
Much of the meeting centered on developing comparable cost estimates for the different public safety options under consideration.
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Committee member David Brickley said he was working to apply the same basic unit costs to the proposals so the committee could compare them on a common basis. He said site conditions could significantly affect costs, particularly when a property requires extensive rock removal, grading or retaining walls. He also said his estimates included a 5 percent additional escalation assumption.
Chair Wally Martinez presented estimates for a proposal developed with committee member Steve Scalzo that would provide about 46,500 square feet of combined facilities. Martinez said the team's estimate was approximately $60 million before accounting for potential proceeds from selling properties that would no longer be needed. He said those proceeds could bring the estimated net cost to roughly $55 million to $57.5 million.
Committee members discussed the importance of using the same assumptions on construction costs, inflation and contingencies when comparing alternatives. Scalzo said proposals should be priced using consistent data and inflation expectations.
Brickley said square footage remains a key variable and suggested the committee validate the proposed building sizes before making final comparisons. He said the estimates under discussion generally put costs at about $1,050 to $1,200 per square foot, depending on the project and site conditions.
Committee members also discussed whether their eventual report to the Board of Selectpersons needs to recommend a single plan.
Martinez said the committee could potentially forward more than one proposal, identifying the level of support each received. Board member Pamela Dunaway said the committee's charge could allow it to submit multiple viable alternatives and leave the Board of Selectpersons to determine how to proceed.
Existing police station site discussed
Ralph Money, a member of the Ridgefield Board of Police Commissioners, asked the committee to take another look at rebuilding a police facility on its existing property rather than eliminating that option without further professional review.
Secretary Edward Tyrell said one concern is the estimated cost of temporarily relocating the Police Department during construction, which he placed at at least $3 million. He also cited the approximately 1.77-acre size of the existing property and the difficulty of fitting a larger building and sufficient parking onto the site.
Money said the town already owns the property and suggested the possibility of acquiring part of an adjoining parcel should also be examined. He said he wanted a professional assessment before the location was ruled out.
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Brickley said previous studies had examined expansion at the site and agreed that the option could be included as a comparison. He said a larger project there would likely require additional property and temporary police facilities during construction.
The committee also discussed Fire Station 2 and how much space a replacement would require. Members noted that a new station would need functions not available in the existing facility, including decontamination and fitness areas, meaning the current building's size would not necessarily represent the size of a replacement.
Grants could be examined
Safir proposed adding a discussion of state and federal funding opportunities to a future agenda, saying grants or state funding could potentially apply to fire stations or other public safety projects.
Ridgefield Selectperson Sean Connelly said the town recently appointed an employee whose job includes proactively seeking grants. Dunaway cautioned that available funding may require a project to reach a certain stage of readiness and that grants are not guaranteed.
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The committee also agreed to put a presentation by Brickley on a future agenda to explain the methodology behind his project cost comparisons.
Members approved revised minutes from their previous meeting after making several corrections. The committee then moved into executive session to discuss privately owned property that could potentially be subject to negotiations.
