UPDATED: Proposed Police Substation Would Fill Part of Former Simon Lake School

UPDATE:

Republican Mayoral Candidate Bernard "Bob" Joy gave the following comment:
 
"Regarding the repurposing of Simon Lake I believe that having a police presence in that community serves the needs of the community best and will also allow us to free up space at police headquarters for operations that are vital to the police.  They will only be using a portion of the building and I plan on talking to the neighborhood to determine the best way to use the balance of the building.  If we can do something that improves services to the community or lowers costs, possibly both then I think that's a homerun."

Independent Party Mayoral Candidate Rocco Frank wrote the following blog:

Police Substation an Example of "Pork Barrel" Spending.

Simon Lake School was closed at great inconvenience to many parents who had children in that area. The decision to close the school was because the BOE was short on funds and they were told concessions had to be made.

You may not remember, but about two years ago the Jonathan Law auditorium was packed with nearly 1,000 very visibly upset teachers, parents, and students who held up signs pleading to have their school saved. School staff were laid off, attritioned and it was a very sad and despondent last day when the kids who were there had to say good bye to their school.

Education challenges in Milford have come mostly from the Republican's whovopposed improvements to Jonathan Law, hired less that qualifiedvSuperintendents and terminated security guards. Never is there anyvdiscussion about how their choices caused our kids to rank in the bottom
1/3 for elementary schools, and the bottom 2/3 for middle schools. I remember when the CAPT scores were so terrible Polanski had to visit other schools and figure out how to effectively educate our kids.

With the way our schools have been financially treated over the last five years perhaps it’s my opponents concern that their actions and decisions will tempt our jobless kids to resort to more local crime.

The Republicans in Milford have had a very unusual and unorthodox relationship with the Milford Police Department. They stood silent as evidence in the Anderson vehicular homicide issue was front page news. They said and held no one accountable when the city destroyed the subpoenaed videotapes "allegedly by accident" and they defend the fact, that despite all the policy and managerial issues in the P.D., that our
police chief deserves nearly $200,000 a year in compensation for his effective management skills.

I could go on, and on, about how republicans dole out money to the police department in Milford I think the people of our city heard enough fear mongering about public safety issues. I will instead focus on the fact that this police substation is a BAD IDEA that will accomplish more waste at a time when the city is riddled with an est. 300M in debt.  A police
training center/substation, in my opinion is a luxury not a need. I believe it will do little to nothing to alleviate the ongoing criminality in our city in any meaningful way.

What I believe the substation will accomplish is to perhaps earn the Republican Party support from the Police Unions and their friends and families here in Milford. I personally believe that those beneficiaries will help aid and assist Bob Joy in breaking his fiduciary promises by getting this "Wasteful" complex up and running.

To explain what I mean, Both Blake and Joy have borrowed phrases from Department stores like Target. They promised the voters that they were concerned about the city debt and we were going to get "More for Less." Instead it appears we are getting just "More or Less" of the same wasteful spending. The election has merely begun just a few short months ago and
these two liberal usurpers have doled out or proposed nearly 2 Million in wasteful spending under the guise of "charitable donations." I would like to remind the people of Milford that there is little to no difference between Blake and Joy, they are both alike, in that they enjoy "Spreading
the wealth" of the property owners in Milford.

Hopefully the voters are alert and awake enough to realize that they are spending our own money and not "bearing gifts" as they both would have us believe. If Milford fails to elect a real conservative they may just wake up one day and ask “how did such a great city change so dramatically.” For
this reason I warn and beg of the voters to learn the facts and vote using critical thinking skills, if we keep letting the parties hijack our city they will keep forcing the rest of us to endlessly dig deeper to support their pet projects and outlandish salaries and benefits.

It is ultimately up to us to vote for those individuals who will allow Milford to prosper for the people and not the politicians.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Police Chief Keith Mello has proposed using part of the former Simon Lake Elementary School as a police facility -- an idea which is supported by both major party candidates for mayor.

In a memo to outgoing Mayor James Richetelli Jr. late last year, recently released to the media, Mello suggests part of the school building at 59 Devonshire Road be used by police officers, police recruits and the public as it engages with the police.

In his five-page memo, Mello outlines four uses for the space:

1. West Shore Police Substation

"A Substation would provide a place for the public to visit and meet with our Police Officers to address their local concerns," the chief wrote. "People that would normally drive to Police Headquarters to meet with an Officer may do so by walking or driving a short distance within their own neighborhood. Our Officers could use this facility to meet complainants, witnesses and persons of interest, to conduct interviews instead of directing them to Police Headquarters."

The chief notes that residents have long asked for more police presence in the area, and that the substation would keep officers in the neighborhood as they write reports, warrant affidavits and other tasks.

2. Police Training Facility

"Having a large classroom(s) will allow us to conduct training classes for a larger group at a single time as opposed to conducting several smaller classes of the same material," the chief wrote in part. "Having a second classroom will provide us the opportunity to conduct multiple classes when necessary and alleviate any conflict issues that are present when sharing space.

The Police Library - closed to allow for an interview room at police headquarters -- could be re-opened, allowing police officers to access reference material and watch training videos, Mello said.

3. Milford Police Recruit Academy

Classrooms, locker rooms and the gym could be shared by recruits and sworm officers.

"All sworn personnel undergo annual updated training in the physical skills such as, defensive tactics, handgun retention, Taser, baton, arrest and control, etc." the chief wrote. "Scheduling of this training has been difficult due to the lack of available facilities."

4. Community Room

"This room would be used by both the police and the residents for meetings such as Block Watch, Crime Prevention, Local Associations meetings, Scouting, etc.," Mello wrote in part.

The room could also be used for Citizen's Police Academy classes, he said.

Mello prepared a diagram of the proposed facility.

Republican Mayoral Candidate Bernard "Bob" Joy and Democratic Mayoral Candidate Ben Blake have both supported the idea, which was presented to them by the chief during summer meetings with the contenders.

"I was in agreement and supportive of the concept as presented by the chief," Blake said.

Joy said in a press release earlier this month, "My proposal will bring a new law enforcement presence to the neighborhood, while enhancing the community with increased activities and opportunities for recreation, the arts, and the adjacent Boy & Girls Club."

He could not be reached for further comment.

The police chief said, "I'm glad to see that both candidates are in favor of this proposal."

An attempt to reach Independent Party Mayoral Candidate Rocco Frank via email was unsuccessful.

Control of the Simon Lake school building would first have to be transferred from the Board of Education to the city, according to Mello.

"But I would like to see this come to fruition on or about the first of the year," he said.

The police chief said he sees Simon Lake -- closed last year during a reconfiguration of the school system -- as an interim solution until a proposal to expand police headquarters or build a new facility is approved. That proposal has been pending since 1999.