Somerville unveils design of $30 million emergency services headquarters

SOMERVILLE – It's finally going to happen.

For decades, the borough's police officers and volunteer firefighters have been clamoring for a new home that would replace what Mayor Dennis Sullivan called "woefully inadequate" facilities.

Near the turn of the century, former Mayor David Hollod created a committee to investigate the possibility of a complex that would consolidate the emergency services at one central location.

But those efforts didn't go anywhere.

Now, two decades later, with Somerville riding the crest of a development and economic boom, construction may begin on the new facility this fall.

"It's about time," former Mayor Brian Gallagher said Wednesday at a public meeting when the final plans were unveiled for the facility that will house both the police and fire departments at Gaston Avenue and East Cliff Street.

"Thousands of hours" went into the design of the building, Sullivan said, with the police and fire departments giving input every step along the way.

"There are a lot of hands in this cake, and it will be delicious when it's done," he said.

The overall cost of the project is estimated to be about $31 to $34 million, said Colin Driver, the borough's director of economic development.

However, money from Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements with developers will fund the construction under a lease-purchase agreement with Stonewater LLC. The firm has developed or managed projects throughout the United States, including an FBI field headquarters in Atlanta, a Coast Guard Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas and the headquarters of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, among other projects.

Earlier: Somerville has deal for new police and fire complex. Here's how much it'll cost taxpayers

Stonewater will build the headquarters, then lease it to the borough for 40 years at which time Somerville will take ownership.

At annual rents of $1 million to $1.7 million, the total lease cost over the four decades is $67.4 million with the PILOT money over the same time totaling $136 million.

However, Driver said, the borough has the option to buy out the lease at any time. There is also a provision in the agreement with Stonewater to split any construction cost savings with the borough, which could be used toward rent or a lump sum payment.

Plans for a backup facility for the county's 911 center and a parking garage were dropped because of an additional $18.8 million in costs, Driver said.

The complex, depending on when the state Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Protection issues permits, could be finished in March 2024.

The look of the building, Driver said, "pays homage" to the brickworks that used to be in the neighborhood.

"The architects (The SmithGroup of Phoenix) did a good job making it part of the area," he said, adding the firm "responded to what we wanted to do."

The building will be two stories with a mezzanine. The police department will be in the southern part of the building while the fire department will be in the northern part.

The ground floor of police headquarters will have a sally port, holding cells, interview rooms, a squad room and an entry area. The second floor will have offices, a fitness room to be shared by both departments, locker rooms and a break room.

The second-floor mezzanine will be for evidence storage.

The first floor of the firehouse will have bays for the fire trucks plus storage for turnout gear and other equipment.

The second floor will house the borough's emergency operations center, bunk rooms for personnel who have to stay at the facility during emergencies, offices, showers, a dayroom, a kitchen and dining area.

In the T-shaped lot, there will be parking for about 80 vehicles behind the building with about a dozen more spaces behind the police headquarters. The parking lot and its lighting will be shielded from the neighboring residential properties.

"We didn't want to put a strain on the surrounding area," Driver said.

Entry to the center will be from both Gaston Avenue and East Cliff Street.

Once the center is completed, property values in the neighborhood should increase 10 to 15%, Driver said.

Sullivan added the facility will be a catalyst to the economic redevelopment of the Gaston Avenue corridor

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Somerville NJ unveils design of $30M emergency services headquarters