WILTON PD-TOWN HALL PROJECT

THANK YOU WILTON!!!
Your overwhelming support (>76% of the vote!) of a new building
for the Wilton Police Department is tremendously appreciated!
Following many "next steps" (that include Planning & Zoning approval, Architectural Review Board approval, the production of construction documents, the bidding process and contract executions),
it is estimated that construction would start in spring 2023 and last approximately 14-20 months
(not including any potential materials and supply chain issues)
allowing for occupancy of the new building in 2024.
Continue to follow WPDTownHallProject.org for all New WPD Building updates.

QUICK GUIDE to the New WPD Building and building project

WHY WAS A NEW BUILDING RECOMMENDED
FOR THE WILTON POLICE DEPARTMENT?

The Wilton Police Department headquarters was built in 1974 for an all male police force and one dispatcher who used pen, paper, one typewriter and two telephone lines. Today the building must accommodate a much larger number of officers and civilian staff (male AND female), a much larger amount of evidence and equipment and a plethora of technology that could hardly be imagined almost five decades ago. Although renovation and expansion were a topic of discussion for over 25 years, none occurred. But in 2019, after significant study, the Police-Town Hall Building Committee recommended new construction for the WPD.

The existing building has operated 24/7, 365 days a year for 48 years, far exceeding the usage of any other town building. Since its doors opened not an inch of space has been added to the building and the minimal changes that have been made, ie converting part of a hallway and storage closet to a female locker room, would not qualify as upgrades. The cramped quarters and poor state of the building make working conditions difficult for the men and women who serve and protect us.

This WPD headquarters is inefficient, deficient in multiple areas and its maintenance and repair costs have escalated for years. The inadequate space for people, technology, equipment and evidence affects the WPD's day to day operations. The outdated, inadequate failing infrastructure affects safety, comfort and expenses. The pandemic and its related protocols only highlighted the building's severe shortcomings and limitations.

The WPD building's deficiencies are serious and numerous:

The building is non-compliant with multiple state and federal requirements.
Its infrastructure is mostly original, inadequate and failing.
* Overcrowding is severe.
* Locker rooms and lavatories are inadequate and in some cases inoperable.
* The firearms training facility is nonfunctional and firearms storage is deficient.

The Police-Town Hall Building Committee has been working toward a solution to these problems. After evaluating multiple alternatives presented by Tecton Architects, in December 2019 new construction, as opposed to renovation and expansion, was recommended to the Board of Selectmen because of its superior cost effectiveness. At that time the committee had hoped to bring the proposed solution to a referendum at the May 2020 Annual Town Meeting but that opportunity was lost because of the project's extended hiatus due to the pandemic.

The referendum on the new police building was held at the Annual Town Meeting, on May 3, 2022, with voting taking place at the conclusion of the ATM and also on Saturday May 7. Voters showed their overwhelming support with >76% casting their votes in favor of the new police building.

WPDTownHallProject.org is the central repository of information
for the New Police Building and police building project