Wilton seeks grant to offset cost of new police headquarters
WILTON — The town is applying to the state for a $500,000 grant from the Small Town Economic Assistance Program to offset part of the construction cost of the new police headquarters, First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice said.
The town is still reviewing bids for the construction of the station, and Wilton has been applying for multiple state grants in an effort to lower the financial burden for taxpayers, Vanderslice said. The Board of Selectmen approved $16.4 million for the project, which was also approved by voters last year.
“We’re pretty hopeful that we’ll receive the grant,” Vanderslice said. “The state grant program was suspended for a couple of years. Last year there were a number of towns that received grants, so I’m hoping that this year is less competitive and we will receive the award.”
The Small Town Economic Assistance Program funds economic development, community conservation and qualityof-life capital projects for localities that are ineligible to receive Urban Action bonds from the state.
The project will nearly double the size of the outdated existing station to almost 19,000 square feet and will be constructed on an 11.17-acre site at 238-240 Danbury Road.
Construction was at one point expected to begin in spring 2023 and take up to 20 months, but the town is still reviewing bids for a general contractor. Vanderslice said she expects bids will be presented at the Sept. 6 Board of Selectmen meeting and anticipates a contract will be approved no later than October.
The parking bay is a priority for the state grant because emergency vehicles need covered parking when the weather is bad, Vanderslice said. The town has also applied unsuccessfully for two years in a row for federal grants, she said.
“We don’t have a contract yet, but one of the things that we questioned is whether or not funding would cover the response team’s (parking) bay, so we wanted to look for a source of those funds,” Vanderslice said.
The state grant could be used for a wide variety of things, Vanderslice said, but the town is set on using the funds toward the police station.
“I sent an email out to the department heads asking if they had any ideas
for the grant,” Vanderslice said. “I threw this out and no one else came up with another proposal … we all thought the same so it made sense.”
The application deadline for towns to apply for the grant is Aug. 18, and decisions will be released in late September.
Why a new Wilton police station is needed
The current police station at 240 Danbury Road hasn’t been upgrade since it was built in 1974 for about 24 male officers. Today it serves 48 employees — 45 officers and three civilian staff — including eight women. The station
contains only four small cells and a tinier, temporary holding cell to process inmates, according to previous reports.
The lack of renovation prevents the department from abiding by state regulations to process juveniles and adults in separate parts of the building, town officials have said. The current conditions also make it difficult for officers to separate men and women.
The new building is expected to have new features, such as improved locker rooms and address the issues with detention.
The Wilton Plan of Conservation and Development from 2019 found that
the current station had “several major deficiencies that need to be addressed,” including inadequate infrastructure and insufficient space.
At a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in February, Police Chief Thomas Conlan said he has seen the need for a new station increase over the years since he first joined the department.
“The new building will be almost twice the size of the old one and will bring the department up to current policing and building code standards,” he said. “A new police facility will have a tremendous benefit to the department, as well as the town.”