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| Public Safety Facility Project |
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Town Meeting 2013 – Public Safety Facility Proposal On the March 5, 2013 ballot Hinesburg voters approved an article asking voters to authorize bonds in the amount not to exceed $1,055,200 to complete final design and construction of a new police station. Visit the Hinesburg Town Elections Page to see a Sample Ballot and read the Bond Vote Resolution for the Public Safety Facility. Watch a Video Presentation of the Project and Take a Tour of the Current Police Station with Police Chief Koss: As part of the Public Safety Facility proposal the town has developed conceptual plans for the expansion of the fire station and the development of the town green at this site. Final design work will be completed from the use of fire impact fees that have been collected for two years for the purpose of designing and building an addition to the current fire station. The town will seek alternative funding (non-tax sources) such as the sale of town owned land, grants, and private fund raising to complete the fire station and town green. | |
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Project History The 2000 Town Report states that both the Police and Fire Departments have outgrown their current facilities near the corner of VT Route 116 and Farmall Drive. The strategic plans for both departments include the objective of expanding and co-locating the two facilities. Voters defeated a 2012 town meeting proposal for a $2.9m bond to build a Public Safety Facility and Community Park. Moving Forward – Public Safety Project Revisited After the bond vote at Town Meeting was defeated for the proposed $2.9m Public Safety and Community Park Project, the Select Board and Town staff members began work to bring a scaled back version of the original project back to the public for further consideration. This work began due to the overwhelming encouragement of community members. The goal was not only to develop a high quality project to fit the current and future needs of Hinesburg but also to go through a pragmatic process to encourage as much public feedback as possible. To assist with that goal the Town continued its relationship with Vermont Integrated Architecture (VIA came on board about six weeks prior to the bond vote) and developed a five phased program:
The preferred alternative creates a public safety facility ‘campus’ by positioning the new police station next to the existing fire station without it being actually connected physically. The connection between the buildings is created by sidewalks and a shared greenspace/courtyard. With this option there is an opportunity to do the entire project; to do just the police facility; to do the police facility plus new support space for the fire department; or to do the police facility plus the new apparatus space for the fire department. Furthermore, the resulting buildings are smaller in scale than a single co-located facility and will fit the surroundings better in the heart of Hinesburg Village; it will have roof forms consistent with Town Planning; and it will resolve snow and water issues better. The functionality desired of co-locating the public safety functions under one roof will not be diminished by the lack of physical connectively in this ‘campus’ alternative. Proposed Project Costs The estimated cost for this preferred alternative is $2.18m if the project is completed wholly. This is based on the square footage cost estimate of $188/ sq. ft. The actual cost will be calculated as part of Phase 5. The Future Of The Current Police Station Building The possibility of rehabilitating the current police station building to function as a future police station was researched by the town and was deemed a nonviable solution. However, the possibility of rehabilitating the building, for a less intensive use, is still a possibility for the town. As part of this process the town had a professional appraisal of the half-acre lot the current building sits on and it was appraised at $208,000. The town has no intent of selling this half-acre lot at this time. Finances In order to finish design and construct the police sation the town is proposing to take out $1,055,200 in bonds with a twenty year payback. This equates to roughly an additional 1.2 cents on the property tax and will result in an increase of approximately $12 per $100,000 assested homestead value to the taxpayer. |
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| Public Safety Building Committee
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The purpose of the Public Safety Building Committee is to vet the project and make final recommendations to
the Select Board and public. Regular meeting are held at the Town Hall on the second and fourth Fridays of the month. Contact Town Administrator Joe Colangelo to attend. Meetings are open to the public. Meeting Schedule:
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For More Information, Contact:
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Official Website – Town of Hinesburg VT 05461 Copyright © 2013 – hinesburg.org |