What's happening with Raynham's new public safety building? Here's why it's delayed

RAYNHAM — When the residents of Raynham voted in June 2021 to fund and build a $30.5 million new public safety building for the Police and Fire departments through a 30-year 2.5% debt exclusion, officials breathed a sigh of relief that both departments would finally have a modern facility that brings them into the 21st century.

"It warms your heart that we have so much support from the community," said Police Chief James Donovan, back in September of last year over the proposal passing through Special Town Election by a margin of 60-40.

Estimates at the time were that the proposed two-story, 50,000-square-foot new building could break ground by spring/summer 2022 and could be finished and operable by spring/summer 2023.

Construction hasn’t yet started and is not expected to occur this year. Why the delay?

According to Bryan LaCivita, fire chief for Raynham and a primary member of the Public Safety Facilities Planning & Construction Committee, the issue has been acquiring ownership of the 10 acres of land intended for the new public safety building.

Located right next door to the Lions Club building, and directly across the street from the Raynham Senior Center on King Philip Street, the land itself was a donation from longtime Raynham residents John Noblin and Frank Campbell, under the name of King Philip Realty Trust. Noblin is also a member of the Public Safety Committee, while Campbell was a member until his passing earlier this year.

According to LaCivita, despite the donation, the land is currently deeded only for agricultural purposes, and requires authorization from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), as well as approval from the State House, in order to be retitled and have ownership transferred to the town.

LaCivita explained MDAR required a new land appraisal before it would sign off on the property.  The appraisal only just happened this past month, meaning the town was unable to get the land transfer in front of state legislature in regular session before it adjourned for the year.  The earliest now it can be approved by state legislature is January 2023.

How will the town pay the $39M tab: Raynham voters shoot down B-P debt exclusion

Current building well beyond its shelf life

When promoting the public safety building proposal in spring 2021, the town of Raynham, in coordination with project manager and consultant firm, Pomroy Associates, produced an informational video detailing the inadequacies of the current public safety building, located on Orchard Street.

Built in 1957, the only upgrades the building has received over the decades were new additions added in the 1990s.

In a nutshell, the facility is undersized, poorly insulated, incapable of being ADA compliant, and has numerous structural deficiencies and water infiltration issues to the point which they have become too expensive to fix or prolong.

There are limited HVAC capabilities and little to no mechanical ventilation provided throughout the building.

Other shortcomings include insufficient parking, no space for public restrooms, public meetings, or training opportunities, and lack of space for safely storing equipment.

LaCivita explained the Public Safety Facilities Planning & Construction Committee looked at numerous sites in town for a new building. “Each site we looked at had its own peculiarities,” he said.  Even if the land donation didn’t happen, issues with other sites included cost and debate over whether there was sufficient acreage.

The benefits of the King Philip Street site are it matches the current location for acceptable response times for both police and fire calls, it has close proximity to the town’s recreation fields, there will be enough space for a secure parking lot (118 spaces), storage facilities, an impound lot, and there will be adequate room for future growth.

Jenna's Wish List: This Raynham mom is fighting stage 4 breast cancer. Through it all, she's helping others.

Patience is a virtue

Without the land transfer, the town hasn’t been able to do much. The site plan and design of the building are complete, courtesy of Pomroy Associates and architectural firm Dorre & Whittier.

No request for proposals and bidding from potential contractors has happened. LaCivita stated he is very optimistic the land transfer will be complete by January 2023, which will kickstart the RFP process and, hopefully, will mean construction can break ground as early as spring 2023.

In the meantime, most of the acreage has been cleared for agriculture as, according to LaCivita, a local farm is currently planting hay on the land.  LaCivita said planting hay will keep the ground flat for when it is time for construction.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Raynham Police and Fire still waiting for a new Public Safety Building