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“The facility we have now is not conducive to police work,” Weston Police Chief John Troxell said at Thursday night's Board of Selectmen meeting. Also, the building doesn’t adhere to current state mandates, he said.
In response to a request from First Selectman Gayle Weinstein, Troxell provided the names of three architectural firms to provide a needs assessment proposal and one did a presentation Thursday night.
Brian Humes is the owner of Jacunski Humes Architects, a Berlin firm with 15 years of experience with police facility design. He explained how his firm can provide a space needs assessment, which will analyze the current police department and suggest a strategy for redesign.
His firm would spend five months on the project, he said. “The first step is to determine current and proposed square footage and see if it’s more cost effective to renovate the current facility or build a new one,” Humes said.
“I’m not looking to inflate square footage, but to address your needs,” he said. The firm doubled the size of the Darien police department to 38,000 square feet.
When asked whether his firm could design a department that would retain Weston’s aesthetics, he said, “We try to respect the vernacular and make designs that conform to local interests.”
Humes has toured the Weston Police Department. “I see liabilities that need to be improved, and safety concerns. Conditions have long been neglected, but you’re better off than some other towns,” he said.
The proposal will be presented to the Building Committee and Police Commission for review.
The town plans to spend $25,000 on the needs assessment proposal but hasn’t awarded the contract yet, Troxell said.
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