Public input meeting on old police HQ in the works
STAMFORD — A Board of Representatives subcommittee on Tuesday evening will decide how and when the public gets to comment on the future of the long-debated former police headquarters.
The Operations Committee, which monitors all of Stamford's public works functions, is expected to schedule at least one public hearing on the fate of police station property. The final dates for future hearings will be solidified at August's Steering Committee meeting.
"I would like to see (discussions) at our August meeting," Operations Committee Chair Rep. Jonathan Jacobson, D-12, told the Advocate. "Or maybe not August because everyone's away for the summer, but maybe in September or October."
After multiple meetings with Mayor David Martin and suggestions that included whether the building could be rehabilitated or sold to a developer, the entire board in June committed to demolishing the building when it approved an environmental monitoring contract between the city and Eagle Environmental.
But for the board to approve the demolition, Martin had to make a promise: to default to the board on what the parcel's final use would be. In turn, the Operations Committee said it would let the public help decide.
Martin, since the beginning, has advocated for keeping the property as city property and turning it into a "temporary green space" while future Stamford officials determine the eventual use for the lot. Jacobson has put his weight behind turning the future green space into a permanent park. At the same time, Rep. Nina Sherwood, D-8, expressed interest in turning the lot into a permanent emergency services headquarters for the city.
And even though Martin vehemently opposes selling the land, the option is still technically on the table.
The Operations Committee will also discuss an ordinance banning nonorganic pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, rodenticides or fertilizer on any city-owned properties. The committee could tentatively deliberate the West Main Street Bridge, an impasse that board members and the mayoral administration have been trying to cross again for months.
The full agenda for Tuesday’s meeting is available on the board’s website.