Ridgefield Public Safety Facilities Committee Backs $55 Million Police-Fire Plan In 6-1 Vote

The recommended proposal, referred to throughout the committee's work as "Option D," calls for consolidating police and fire operations on a private property whose location has not yet been publicly disclosed.

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Committee member David Brickley said updated estimates put the project at about $53.8 million before additional room was added to the recommendation. He proposed increasing the working ceiling to $55 million, saying that would provide seven fire apparatus bays and a financial buffer while removing a proposed unfinished "core shell" intended for future expansion.

Chair Wally Martinez supported the higher figure.

"I think it's safer to come in with a number of $55 million," Martinez said, noting the estimate at the time was about $53.8 million.

Secretary Ed Tyrell then moved to recommend Option D at an amount of up to $55 million. Denis Graves seconded the motion.

Martinez said the six votes in favor came from himself, Tyrell, Graves, Brickley, Adam Safir and Stephen Scalzo. Dunaway voted against it.

Dunaway Questions Chiefs' Review Of Latest Plan

The sharpest disagreement centered not on whether Ridgefield needs new public safety facilities, but on whether the committee should endorse one plan before the police and fire chiefs had more thoroughly reviewed its latest configuration.

Dunaway said she had spoken with both chiefs that day and believed they wanted a more detailed walkthrough of Option D, including visual materials showing the building configuration and future expansion possibilities.

"I think they would like to be walked through it with visual aids more than just you approve this number of square feet anywhere," Dunaway said.

"If they like it, I'm in love with it," she added.

Martinez disputed the suggestion that public safety leadership had not been sufficiently involved. He said the chiefs had been given Option D when it was circulated to the committee and had participated throughout the process. Safir also said he was confident the chiefs knew the location, square footage and operational conditions and had provided substantial input.

Dunaway said she was not suggesting the chiefs opposed the proposal, but wanted them to understand the constraints and future expansion possibilities before committing to it.

"I think they just want to know what they're getting into so they can plan for the service we expect from them," she said.

Dunaway also argued that the Board of Selectpersons should be presented with several developed alternatives to compare.

"We have three or so pretty gelled concepts here that I think the Board of Selectmen should really see and really think through and compare and contrast," she said.

Martinez said those alternatives would be described in the committee's full report even though Option D would be identified as its majority recommendation.

Rebuilding Police Headquarters At Current Site Deemed Costlier

Earlier in the meeting, committee member Stephen Scalzo presented an analysis of rebuilding the Police Department at its existing location.

Scalzo said the option was technically possible but "really not feasible," citing the age of the existing building, historic district requirements, a constrained site and the possible need to purchase neighboring property.

He estimated work at the existing site could cost at least $1,400 per square foot, compared with assumptions of about $1,100 elsewhere.

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Brickley later presented a comparative estimate putting a new police station at the existing site at about $35 million, compared with about $30 million at Quarry Ridge. He said the existing-site calculation included costs associated with acquiring additional land, temporarily housing police operations during construction, demolition and work within the historic district.

Brickley repeatedly cautioned that the figures were comparative estimates, not final referendum numbers. He said any of the estimates could easily vary by about 5 percent as more information becomes available.

The committee also discussed the number of fire apparatus bays, stormwater management, traffic controls and options for future expansion. Brickley said the recommended combined facility could be adjusted to about 48,000 square feet with seven bays and estimated the resulting project at roughly $54 million to $55 million.

Concern Remains Over What Voters Will Approve

Even while voting for the $55 million recommendation, Tyrell warned that he believed it faced a significant risk at referendum.

"I'm going to vote for it," Tyrell said. "But I believe that if the selectmen put this to the voters, there's a 50 percent chance of failing."

Later, Tyrell said his longstanding view had been that a $50 million proposal would pass while a $60 million proposal would fail, and that every increase in cost raised the risk of rejection.

Brickley disagreed with that assessment. He pointed to the reduction from the previous proposal and said he believed some residents would regard bringing the project to $55 million as a substantial accomplishment rather than a reason to oppose it.

Dunaway said the $50 million threshold was "an arbitrary number" unsupported by data.

Report Will Include Alternatives And Financial Analysis

After selecting Option D, the committee agreed to send its final report to First Selectperson Rudy Marconi and Police Commission Chair Sharon Wicks Dornfeld once revisions are completed.

Safir, the committee's vice chair, was assigned responsibility for finalizing the document. Members were asked to send him corrections and additions, including updated costs and square footage.

Dunaway said the draft contained data inconsistencies and what she characterized as false equivalencies between Ridgefield and other public safety facilities used for comparison.

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The committee voted unanimously to transmit the completed report to the Board of Selectpersons and Board of Police Commissioners at the earliest opportunity.

Scalzo also presented a financial analysis intended for inclusion with the committee's work. He said it would compare the options, capital and financing costs, debt service and potential tax effects.

His analysis also examined the cost of doing nothing. Scalzo estimated maintaining the existing police and fire buildings could require $5 million to $7 million over the next three years and potentially $10 million to $12.5 million over 10 years, based on planned spending and projected maintenance needs. He emphasized those figures were estimates.

Martinez Resigns As Committee Chair

Martinez also announced that the Aug. 27 meeting would be his last as chairman, although he said he would remain on the committee as a member.

"I think I've contributed everything I can," Martinez said. "I will stay an active member."

Martinez said he would no longer be chairman when the committee appeared before the Board of Selectpersons, although he agreed to speak as a committee member about the report and Option D.

Safir, as vice chair, would assume the chairman's responsibilities under the committee's rules, Martinez said.

The committee expected its recommendation to go before the Board of Selectpersons at a joint meeting with the Board of Police Commissioners scheduled for Monday, Aug. 31. Members said the timing was driven in part by deadlines associated with potentially placing a referendum question on the Nov. 3 ballot. Dornfeld said Sept. 4 marked the 60-day point before the election, leaving town officials a short window to act.

Dornfeld praised the committee's work but also expressed concern about presenting only one recommendation, saying residents had complained during previous referendum processes that they were not given a choice. She said a minority report might help address that concern.