City of Ansonia

PRESS RELEASE

City Moving Forward with Plans for

New Police Station, Municipal Center
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Project Now Proposed for Former Farrel
HQ on Main Street
For Immediate Release:
April 3, 2017

ANSONIA- Mayor David S. Cassetti and the Board of Aldermen are moving forward with
plans to establish a new, state-of-the-art Police Station at 65 Main Street, the former
corporate headquarters of Farrel Corporation located adjacent to Eagle House.

Both Mayor Cassetti and Police Chief Hale are calling this location the best possible
site for the new police station and a tremendous opportunity for the City of Ansonia.

The purchase of 65 Main Street with USDA loan funds for use as the new Police Station
must be approved by the Board of Aldermen after a public hearing. The date for the
public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at 7:00pm in the Aldermanic
Chambers of City Hall. An informational presentation by city and police officials will be
conducted prior to the hearing.

The office building at 65 Main Street offers a sprawling 85,000 square feet, two indoor
parking garages, an outdoor parking lot, and a central location perfectly suited for law
enforcement activity. The space will be large enough to accommodate all features
originally contemplated for the station, including an indoor shooting range.

Importantly, 65 Main Street will offer the city enough space to consolidate additional
government services within the same building, representing a significant savings and
convenience for taxpayers. The city is now looking at a proposal that would see the
Ansonia Senior Center permanently relocated to 65 Main Street, along with the creation
of additional space for community use and municipal departments.
The proposal to utilize 65 Main Street for the new Police Station is a departure from the
citys original proposal to construct a brand-new facility on Olson Drive. The decision to
change the proposed location evolved over the past three months as city officials
carefully weighed the advantages of each site.

Importantly, 65 Main Street only recently became available for purchase when it was
acquitted through foreclosure by its current owner, Shaw Management, LLC.

Mayor Cassetti states that the main considerations for choosing 65 Main Street over
Olson Drive were value for taxpayers money and time.

Specifically, he explained that 65 Main Street offers the same central location but much
more space than a new facility on Olson Drive could, allowing more room not only for
our police department, but also for public parking and municipal services such as the
Senior Center.

The police station planned for Olson Drive was to include 22,000 square feet at a cost
of $12 million, paid for by a low-interest loan from the USDA. The project at 65 Main
Street offers 85,000 square feet at no additional cost, funded by the same USDA loan.

In fact, there is a possibility that both the acquisition and renovations at 65 Main could
cost less than the $12 million planned for the project.

Moreover, the project at Olson Drive has been complicated by flood plain regulations on
the site, which would have delayed construction of the new police station for 2-3 years.
By comparison, renovation and relocation activities could commence immediately at 65
Main Street.

This project will give taxpayers much, much more for their money, said Mayor
Cassetti. And it dovetails perfectly with the private development moving forward
downtown, he continued, referring to the citys sale of the ATP and Palmer buildings to
Copper City Development, along with the plans of Shaw Management to redevelop 501
East Main Street.

The combination of public-private investment will be like a lightning bolt of economic

activity recharging our downtown, Mayor Cassetti said.

The following are several sure-to-be-asked questions, the answers to which will
be very helpful to the publics understanding of the project:

1. What did voters approve at the 2016 referendum?

Ansonia voters gave the city approval to obtain a $12 million loan from the USDA for the
construction of a new police department. The proposed location at the time was Olson
Drive, but the language of the referendum question gave the city the ability to consider
alternative locations, such as 65 Main Street.
2. Where is the USDA loan money right now?

The funds are still with the USDA. The loan funds will only be dispersed when the
project goes forward.

3. When did the city change the location of the project from Olson Drive to 65
Main Street?

The city began exploring the possibility of an alternative location at 65 Main Street in the
winter of 2016, after being approached by Shaw Management, LLC (the current owner
of the building). It is now being proposed as a better alternative to the Olson Drive
location.

4. Why are public officials considering 65 Main Street as the better

alternative to Olson Drive?

Value for Taxpayers Money. 65 Main Street offers all the advantages of the Olson Drive
site, yet with approximately 60,000 additional square feet, plus a significant amount of
indoor and outdoor public parking space. All of this will be available for no more than
the originally contemplated $12 million USDA loan amount. Taxpayers will therefore be
receiving much more for their money.

Timing. Various challenges at the Olson Drive site would delay the construction of a
station at Olson Drive for 2-3 years. Renovation of 65 Main Street could begin
immediately after closing, and are likely to be complete within the year.

Location. 65 Main Street is located about a quarter-mile away from the originally
proposed Olson Drive site and centrally located in the heart of the downtown area.

5. Doesnt 65 Main have environmental issues?

The portions of the building to be used for the police station, city services and parking
have no environmental issues. Therefore environmental clean-up will not be an issue.
There are environmental issues with an adjacent structure (the older, ivy covered
building adjacent to Eagle House) but this is not part of the plan for the new station or
expanded space for city services like the Senior Center.

6. Can a Police Station be combined with a Senior Center?

Yes, the two departments can be combined in a very convenient manner. The police
department will be located on a separate floor from other city services, and will have
access via a separate entrance and elevator (the facility already has two elevators).

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