Police Station Tops Public Safety Warrant Articles this May

The Warrant for the upcoming May Town Meeting features a number of public safety Warrant Articles to keep our Fire and Police Departments up-to-date and able to respond quickly to emergencies. These articles amount to about $50 million, but don't let the big price tag fool you: the majority of this funding will be in the form of borrowing to build a new police station (Article 20).

The police station has been a hot topic of conversation in the last several years, as the current building—first used as the Union School in 1898—has a number of problems that make it unfit for use by Burlington's public safety officers. As showcased in this tour, filmed by BCAT with Chief Thomas Browne back in January of 2022, there is water damage, mold, and structural concerns, in addition to the fact that the station was not built for a modern, functioning police department.

A feasibility study was approved by Town Meeting and performed last year, and due to space constraints around town and the current centralized location of the station, it was determined the best thing to do would be to demolish the current building and rebuild on the same property. The two biggest real-estate-related concerns with this plan were the preservation (or lack thereof) of the Union School and the need to use some of the property where the Sculpture Park currently sits.

According to Kevin of Kaestle Boos, the design firm contracted for this project, preservation of the property would cost more than rebuilding the property for a number of reasons, not least of which is the seismic reinforcement of the building's rubble stone foundation, which alone would bring the renovation cost up close to the cost for a complete rebuild. Additionally, with previous renovations, additions, and façade changes, the town has not treated the building as historic and it has never been registered as such.

The Sculpture Park will need to move as a result of this project, and in fact the property where it sits will need to be rezoned into the Limited Business (BL) district so the police station and adjoining parking lot can be built. Articles 32 and 33 involve removing the necessary parcel from the Grandview Farm Planned Development District (32) and rezoning it (33). The Building Committee says they won't be sure how much of the land will be needed until the final design is complete, but they have agreed to return any unused land into the PDD.

Other questions Chief Browne has anticipated and answered at his presentations in front of various Board around town:

• Can there be some kind of structured or shared parking: No, structured parking, either above- or below-ground, is not feasible given the space constraints.
• Could the town save money by not moving the firing range? Maybe, but the Chief is committed to moving it, given its convenience and recent renovations. It is rifle rated and can be used to train officers 24/7 with no disturbance to neighbors, and the costs in extra insurance and overtime would eat into any savings that was gained.

• The Warrant Article would be for borrowing, and would need to pass with a 2/3 vote; can some of this be paid for with free cash? Yes, that's the plan, according to Assistant Town Administrator, John Danizio. The borrowing  will not be all at once, and the town plans to use free cash and other sources to pay down BANs and to offset future borrowing.

The police station is just one of several building projects the town will be seeking to undertake in the near future.

Other public safety Warrant Articles up for discussion at May Town Meeting:

• Article 7-01 - Phase 3 Communications Infrastructure - This article is for $985,000 to fund the replacement of outdated portable radios, last purchased in 2011, for the police and fire department. The amount also includes funds for radio box receivers which ring the station bells when a home fire alarm goes off. This is the third and final phase of the communications upgrade for Burlington's public safety agencies. Ways & Means vote: 12-0-0 | Capital Budget Committee Vote: 7-0-0 | Select Board Vote: 5-0-0

• Article 7-02 - Rescue ATV - This is for a $65,000 rescue ATV (the Chief stated that it's actually called a UTV) that can reach more rugged and hard-to-reach areas. Ways & Means vote: 8-4-0 | Capital Budget Committee Vote: 7-0-0 | Select Board Vote: 5-0-0

• Article 7-03 - Command Car - The Fire Department would like to get $78,000 for a new front-line Shift Commander response vehicle, using the current one to replace the Training Officer car, which is in need of repairs and is becoming less reliable. Ways & Means vote: 12-0-0 | Capital Budget Committee Vote: 7-0-0 | Select Board Vote: 5-0-0
• Article 12 - Fire Engine - This new engine, which will cost $1.2 million, will replace an old engine; the quote includes communication and other hardware. Ways & Means vote: 12-0-0 | Capital Budget Committee Vote: 7-0-0
• Article 18 - Transfer from Receipts Reserved Account for Ambulance Services - Transfer from Receipts Reserved Account for Ambulance Services to offset FY24 budget (This article was withdrawn last year.) Ways & Means vote: 12-0-0 | Select Board Vote: 5-0-0

That's all the public safety warrant articles for this May's Town Meeting. If you've got any questions, be sure to review the Warrant and Backup; if you've got feedback, reach out to your Town Meeting representatives.

This year’s Annual Town Meeting will begin on Monday, May 13, at 7:00 PM and will continue on Wednesday and Monday evenings until the entire Warrant has been reviewed. Stay tuned to the Buzz for summaries of the articles in the Town Meeting Warrant and how Town Meeting votes on each.