Why do we need a new facility?
The North Kingstown public safety building is a 26,923 square foot facility that serves as headquarters for the town's Police and Fire Departments. Initially constructed in 1957, the building has served the town's citizens well for many years but has reached the end of it's useful life. Despite renovations in 1976 and 2008 the building no longer provides the space and systems necessary to run a modern public safety agency.
Support for Modern Fire Apparatus
The current public safety building is not constructed to support the size and weight of modern fire apparatus. This limitation has a significant impact on fire department operations and forces the department to special order smaller apparatus that will fit in the building. Space between apparatus is limited making it difficult for members to put on their turnout gear before responding to an emergency. Vehicles being parked close together also make parking difficult and increase the potential for apparatus accidents due to limited clearance.
Limited Office Space
Office space offered by the current public safety building does not meet the need of the town's Police and Fire Departments. Growth in both departments over the past 50 years have forced several areas to be converted to office space that had served as storage in the past. These spaces are too small to support modern operations and many of them are co-located with HVAC equipment and located in the basement level of the building with no access to windows to provide natural light and fresh air. In one extreme case a work desk for the fire department has been setup in a former jail cell that also doubles as supply storage.
Lack of Facilities
The current public safety building lacks modern restrooms, locker rooms and dorm rooms to support a diverse workforce. In the fire station undersized sleeping areas are shared by both male and female firefighters. Firefighters also share a single occupancy restroom and shower area for the main level of the fire station. The lower level fire station bathroom lacks a sink and does not allow members to wash their hands. Police locker room areas are crowded and undersized for the current staffing of the department.
Detention Areas
The detention areas provided for the Police Department to house prisoners are out of date and do not meet current accreditation requirements. Features such as inward opening doors, cell bars and stairs in the detention area pose a risk to both prisoners and police officers that occupy the facility.
Aging Building Systems
HVAC systems in the current public safety building are starting to show their age and require constant repair. Following several additions, the building has two main boiler rooms along with several mini-split systems that were retrofitted to supplement primary HVAC systems. This setup is complicated, inefficient and requires constant maintenance. Electrical service to the building is also a mix of old and new wiring that is difficult to troubleshoot when problems occur.
Lack of Storage
The current public safety building lacks storage to support the operations of both the Police and Fire Departments. This became especially evident during the COVID 19 pandemic where the departments had to store additional PPE and cleaning supplies to protect their members. Areas never meant to be used for storage such as telephone rooms and void spaces between offices were utilized.
Building Envelope
Despite several attempts at repairs the current public safety building has persistent problems with water leaking from both the roof and through block walls.
Need for Secure Parking
The current site layout lacks a secure parking area to separate public areas of the building from areas that have heightened security requirements. These areas include police vehicle parking, detainee entrances, vehicle evidence storage, backup power systems and town vehicle fueling areas. The current parking lot layout creates a situation where these secure areas are regularly occupied by the public leaving them vulnerable.
