2 Mercer Co. Towns To Build Joint Police Station, Court Facility

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Two Mercer County towns have entered into an agreement to build a joint police station and court facility.

Robbinsville and Hightstown will build a new 26,000 square foot shared facility that will house a police station and court in a historic shared service agreement for the next 50 years.

The new construction will be on the site of the current Robbinsville Township Municipal Complex at 1117 Route 130. The existing structure will be permanently closed and removed from the site, officials said.

“Making sure our respective police departments and shared municipal court have the best facilities and every tool possible to perform their duties to the best of their abilities is of paramount importance to both Mayor Quattrone and all of us here in Robbinsville,” Robbinsville Mayor and Director of Public Safety Dave Fried said in a statement.

“This is a historic agreement between two neighbors which have the utmost respect for each other and their constituents.”

The shared services agreement will include a mutual option to extend the agreement for an additional 50 years.

Each municipality will pay its share of the costs to construct the facility, which is estimated at around $9.8 million. They will also share utility costs, with Robbinsville covering 68 percent and Hightstown Borough paying roughly 32 percent of the costs.

“We have shared our court and jail cells with Robbinsville for several years, so expanding the partnership further by sharing a police station is a natural fit,” Hightstown Mayor Quattrone said in a statement.

“Not only do our hardworking police benefit from the new state-of-the-art facilities, but our residents will continue to receive the same response and dedicated service from the officers they respect and love.”

The Robbinsville and Hightstown Police Departments will occupy their own space within the new facility and remain separate and distinct departments, officials said. The Hightstown Police Department will also operate a substation located in the new municipal complex building at 230 Mercer Street in Hightstown.

The two Municipal Courts will continue to operate in the new facility under its existing agreement to share facilities, employees, equipment, and supplies.

Ground-breaking for the new facility is scheduled for 2022, and construction is expected to take approximately 12 months, officials said.

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