Windsor, CT
A decade in the making, a former manufacturing warehouse is now the home of a modern police station, designed to be a focal point for public safety in the town of Windsor, Connecticut.
Located at 110 Addison Road, the Windsor Police Department shares space with the Public Works Department equipment storage facility, with 30,000 square feet allocated to the police department and 35,000 for the Public Works Department. The Public Works department had been occupying the space prior to the renovation.
“One of the biggest challenges of the project was working around the Public Works department during the course of the construction," explained Romolo Santilli, Senior Project Manager, LaRosa Groups. “We had to install firewalls to separate the occupied space from areas under construction.”
Newly Constructed Windsor Police Department
Another unusual challenge was coordinating the construction of the dispatch center and transitioning it from the existing dispatch to the newly constructed one. The transition needed to occur in the shortest possible time frame so that 911 services would not be interrupted. It took an extraordinary amount of pre-planning and coordination with the town, design team, and dispatch personnel who met frequently in the weeks leading up to the transition. It was essential that the final reviews and inspections of the new dispatch center conform to the specs and standards of the 911 service. The team worked together to test all systems prior to the turnover and the town personnel and electricians were on standby during the physical process as an emergency precaution.
“This project is a testament to the power of teamwork,” explained James LaRosa, Chief Executive Officer, LaRosa Groups. “Without the dedicated and coordinated efforts of the various constituent groups, this project could never have been completed so seamlessly.”
The new building design includes: designated conference rooms, staff break-rooms, workout areas, solid metal doors in the cells, wide eight-foot hallways, and an expanded sally-port for police vehicles to drop off prisoners. The building also encourages morale by providing the officers with training resources, an increase in collaboration space, and ensures the safety of the officers.
The new police station also met the goals and timetable of the adjacent fire station.
The police department was the first of two projects approved by the town of Windsor for public safety improvements. The master plan was to complete the police station first and then renovate the space the police had shared with the fire department. When it appeared that the cost of the fire station construction would increase dramatically because of the timing of the police station construction, LaRosa took the lead and coordinated with the vendors, the town, and the design team to expedite the process.
The Windsor Police Station was completed four months ahead of schedule and under budget.
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