Police Station Building Project

Live View of Construction

See a live feed of the Police Station Project from two different vantage points:

• View from the Cary Memorial Building looking east
• View looking west toward the Cary Memorial Building and Town Offices

Project Update - February 2023

Much of February was limited to installing stall and controlling the site for safety standards.

The beginning of the month consisted of excavating and framing forms for concrete columns, footings, and walls. Rebar was installed and all concrete was poured.

Upcoming Work - March 2023

Crews will excavate the area on the exterior of the west side and construct a retaining wall.

Underground electrical work will begin.

Crews will move the fence on the northern side of the project back to the Minuteman Bikeway to allow for construction activity.

Solar Canopy Project

At the 2023 Annual Town Meeting, Article 16i will consider funding the design, purchase, and installation of solar canopies and energy storage batteries at the site of the new Police Station.

• View the motion for Article 16i to see what Town Meeting will consider (PDF)
• View the presentation slides for Article 16i (PDF) 
• View additional renderings of the project (PDF) 
• Video of March 14 Neighborhood Meeting

About the Project

The Town is seeking to replace the current Police Station with a building that meets the community's current-day public safety needs. The current 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.

The current Police Station has 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.

History of the Police Station Project

• A 2011 study by Donham and Sweeney Architects (PDF) determined that the current 1956 Police Station no longer meets the needs of a modern police force. The study advised that the existing 13,060 square feet should be expanded to approximately 30,000 square feet through new construction.
• Special Town Meeting 2016-5 appropriated funds for studying the feasibility of siting, constructing and equipping a new Police Station to meet modern needs
• At the 2018 Annual Town Meeting, members voted in favor of Article 14, appropriating funds for design, engineering and architectural services for the reconstruction and expansion of the Police Station.
• The completion of the design and request for construction funding was originally planned for the 2021 Annual Town Meeting, but was postponed in order to further engage the community in conversations regarding race, social justice and the future of policing.
  • Select Board Members Joe Pato and Doug Lucente met with various community stakeholders to gather input on the Police Station project and public safety in general. View the Police Station Feedback Report (PDF).
• At Special Town Meeting 2021-1, Town Meeting passed Article 5, providing funding for police station architectural design and swing space construction.
  • This will allow updates to be made to the original plans for the police station, and will provide funds to modify the building at 173 Bedford Street, so that the Police Department can use that building while police station construction is occurring.
• The Historic Districts Commission unanimously approved the design of the Police Station at their April 7, 2022 meeting. The Chair of the Commission has indicated the Certificate of Appropriateness will be issued soon.
• At Special Town Meeting 2022-1, Town Meeting passed Article 2 (PDF), which appropriated funds for the design and construction of a new Police Station

Cost to Taxpayers

The Town Manager reported to the Select Board that the Police Station debt is estimated to cost the average single-family taxpayer $258 the first year of the debt down to $149 in the 20th year of the debt repayment (average of $204 per year). This works out to approximately a 1.6% increase over current taxes for the first (highest) year.

Use our calculator to see what it will cost you the first year.

The Town is working to mitigate the financial impact of major capital projects, such as the Police Station, on taxpayers through a capital stabilization framework (CSF). View the Town Manager's memo to the Select Board outlining the CSF (PDF).

View the Town Manager's memo to the Select Board (PDF) regarding the total amount of excluded debt, and the impact to single-family tax bills.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions about the project.

Presentations & Reports from 2022-1 Special Town Meeting

• View the video presentation from the project architect to Town Meeting Members
• Select Board position statement (PDF)
• Report of the Capital Expenditures Committee (PDF)
• Report of the Appropriations Committee (PDF)

Election Results

Election results have 56.6% voting 'Yes' to the ballot question for the funding of the Police Station project.

See the certified results of the Special Town Election of June 6, 2022.

Info Sessions

Town Manager Jim Malloy, Police Chief Michael McLean, and Public Facilities Director Michael Cronin were available at two public info session to present the need for the Police Station project and the financial impact to the community. Following the presentation, they took taking questions from the public. The video from one of the sessions is available below:

View the video recording of the info session

Contact Information

For questions or additional information, please contact the Town Manager's Office via email, or by phone at 781-698-4540.