Norwich voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to approve a $55 million bond to convert the city-owned former Chelsea Groton Bank building downtown into a police station. The project is estimated at $53.7 million, but its final renovation cost has not been determined, according to NBC Connecticut.
A different proposal came before voters in 2023
The earlier plan called for building a station on Mahan Drive, across from Norwich Tech and next to the senior center. It was priced at just under $45 million, with supporters hoping state and federal grants would cover a third of the cost; the projected tax increase was about $120 annually for 30 years. WFSB reported that a referendum on that plan was scheduled for Nov. 7, 2023. The cited account does not establish the referendum’s outcome.
For the current proposal, Lt. Nicholas Rankin said the city would seek state and federal funding and grants to help offset costs to taxpayers, according to NBC Connecticut’s report. No funding for the current plan has been confirmed. Chief Patrick Daley told the Norwich Bulletin that the department needs a new station and that delaying action could raise the eventual cost.
Problems cited at the current station
In its report on the department, NBC Connecticut described a dispatch center that is too small for the city’s needs and servers kept in a closet that can overheat in summer. Lt. Nicholas Rankin warned the outlet that equipment failure could interfere with people calling 911; the report also noted the department uses a box fan to cool the equipment during hot weather.
The same NBC Connecticut report covered other reported shortcomings: showers that do not work properly, toilets that may require repeated flushing, and female officers’ lockers distributed among different parts of the building, including a former juvenile holding area. One locker has been placed in a shower stall to make room for more female officers.
Department chaplain Chuck Tyree told NBC Connecticut that a lack of private meeting space affects conversations with officers and community members. He said officer wellness discussions can take place in police cruisers or other areas without privacy, and that families receiving death notifications may be met in the lobby, where residents also seek accident reports or handle bond requests.
Rankin said the move would bring officers closer to the community; the current station is separated from much of the city by a river, according to NBC Connecticut. The outlet also reported that supporters view the project as a way to address longstanding building problems and strengthen the department’s connection to downtown.
