Ridgefield Officials Advance Site Evaluation Process for Police, Fire Facilities

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The Public Safety Facilities Committee voted unanimously July 9 to authorize spending up to $20,000 for a consultant to prepare conceptual design "test fits" for two potential public safety facility options as the committee continued narrowing possible locations for new police and fire facilities.

Following an executive session to discuss privately owned properties, the committee voted to allocate the funds for the town's consultant to prepare conceptual designs for options identified during the closed session. The motion passed without discussion.

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Earlier in the meeting, committee members reviewed revisions to the evaluation matrix that will be used to score potential sites. Member Pamela Dunaway proposed simplifying the language so the document is easier for the public to understand, converting it into an interactive spreadsheet and refining the scoring system with clearer definitions. Members also agreed the evaluation criteria should explicitly address whether a site meets the operational needs identified by police and fire officials and whether it allows room for future expansion. The committee unanimously approved the proposed revisions, with Dunaway agreeing to prepare an updated version for review at the next meeting.

Related: Ridgefield Panel Debates How to Evaluate Future Police, Fire Facility Options

Committee members also agreed that future cost comparisons presented to the public should include estimated tax impacts in addition to total project costs. Members discussed presenting estimated annual tax increases using the same approach employed during the town's previous public safety facilities referendum so residents can better understand how each proposal could affect individual tax bills.

The committee received public progress reports from its three "Tiger Teams," which have been evaluating potential facility options. One team reported that, after reviewing town-owned properties, its preferred option remains constructing a new police headquarters on the Schlumberger property while concluding that renovating the current police or fire headquarters, redeveloping the Venus Building or building at Governor Field presented significant financial or logistical challenges. Members said the team did not identify a viable town-owned site for a new fire headquarters.

A second team reported evaluating several privately and publicly owned properties for either a combined police and fire facility or separate buildings. Members said they identified two concepts they believe satisfy the committee's evaluation criteria but withheld details because they involve privately owned property still under consideration. The committee also heard that a third team examined a reduced-footprint version of a combined facility at 36 Old Quarry Road and another town-owned property, concluding that suitable undeveloped land in Ridgefield is limited.

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Committee member David Brickley presented a preliminary cost model designed to compare potential project options. Using estimates derived from the town's 2025 referendum proposal and adjusted for inflation, the spreadsheet separates property acquisition, site preparation, construction and project-related expenses so members can compare different sites and building sizes. Brickley emphasized the figures are intended only as order-of-magnitude planning estimates and will be refined as consultants further develop potential concepts.

The committee also approved the minutes of its previous meeting before adjourning at 8:39 p.m.