$8.5M public safety building breaks ground in Skowhegan
Courtesy / Haley Ward
Fire and law enforcement personnel held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $8.25 million project earlier this month.
After nearly a decade of planning, construction has started on a new 28,000-square-foot public safety building in Skowhegan.
The $8.25 million project officially got underway earlier this month with a groundbreaking ceremony on the site, at the corner of East Madison Road and Dunlop Lane.
Bangor-based architectural and engineering firm Haley Ward worked with the town in its review and evaluation of project sites, public safety needs, and a design for a much-needed new building, according to a news release.
Benchmark Construction in Westbrook is the general contractor for the project and anticipated completion is for the fall of 2023.
The new facility will include a drive-through bay and three other bays for firefighting vehicles, and will also have sleeping quarters and storage space for the fire department.
For police, there will be an emergency operations center, a booking area, a controlled entryway called a sally port, and an area for detectives. The building will also feature a shared day room, kitchen and fitness area.
The project has been nearly a decade in development. A public safety building committee to study the issue was formed in 2014, according to town documents.
The committee evaluated seven potential sites, based on criteria that included response time, lot size and shape, neighborhood impact, available utilities, land and development cost, environmental and topographical constraints, and visibility and views
The purchase of the land and the authorization to issue $8.5 million in bonds was approved by voters in 2018.
In 2020, residents reviewed four options for the project that included separate facilities for the public works branches as well as the combined facility.
Skowhegan has a range of initiatives going on in its downtown and along the Kennebec River waterfront, including a collaboration with the Maine Department of Transportation to finalize a Village Partnership Initiative agreement. Main Street Skowhegan just opened the Skowhegan Center for Entrepreneurship and received a $2 million in funding for development of riverfront green space.
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