By Cameron Small
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
On Saturday, October 29, the new Medfield Public Safety building opened its doors after completing the five month construction which began in June. Not only did the building finish on schedule, it finished under budget. Plans to install solar paneling are underway to help reduce the operating costs of the building; and even with installing the panels, the project is expected to end $600,000 under budget.
Although the building is open, the Police and Fire Departments were not expected to start operating out of the new facility until last Wednesday, November 2. The Fire Department started moving equipment over to the new building on the 29. However, important features such as telephones hadn’t been installed yet, delaying the official move from the temporary West Street location. Between the 29 and 2, the Police and Fire Departments continued to operate out of West Street.
After a brief, outdoor ceremony commemorating the building and raising the flag, Medfield residents were invited for a self-guided walking tour of the new facility. Security keypads flashed by all the open doors. Throughout the building, posters were displayed showing the differences between the old building and the new. The starkest difference between the buildings would be space: in the old building, there was not adequate space for the men and women who serve the town to do what they needed to do.
The Public Safety Building now includes a triage room, where first aid can be provided as necessary; a training room, where personnel can be trained before joining the force; and a fitness room, which one officer said “I’m sixty-two and a half, you’re never going to see me in there.”
When asked, Officer Robert LaPlante was unable to identify his favorite room in the new building. “There’s so many nice rooms. The meeting room is great.” The meeting room is located directly above the main entrance on the second story, with two floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the North Street and Dale Street intersection, the Pfaff Center, and Dale Street School. “On the fire side, the apparatus bay is amazing.” The apparatus bay hosts Medfield’s fire trucks, ambulances, and other equipment; and there is now the space for personnel to move around and prepare to be dispatched safely. “There’s no special room that I can point out. They’re all great.”
The general public seems to appreciate the new building too. Over the course of the day, both Police Chief Bob Meaney and Fire Chief William Kingsley heard the same phrase: “Congrats, Chief. You guys deserve it.”
