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Date: 11/3/2022
ENFIELD – Enfield Mayor Bob Cressoti is encouraging residents to vote yes on the public safety complex referendum at the Nov. 8 election. If passed, the referendum would allow the town to build a public safety complex housing both EMS and the Police Department.
The total cost of the project would be $15.1 million. The state would fund $12.8 million of the project and Enfield would be required to pay the remaining $2.3 million.
Critics of the proposal have pointed out this referendum was previously on the ballot for the November 2021 election and failed by a vote of 4,451 to 2,958. Others have voiced concerns about tax increases during a difficult economic period.
“We understand that people are opposed to any tax dollars being spent because we would have to use approximately $2 million of our own to help fund this, but if the referendum does get shot down then we lose out on $12.8 million of state funds,” said Cressoti.
Cressoti added that the result of the previous vote could have been due to a lack of information provided to residents and an abundance of ballot referendums.
“I think the information probably could’ve been distributed out a little better and there were other referendums on the ballot,” he said.
According to Cressoti, both the police and EMS buildings are inadequate for their needs, making the need for another vote especially pressing..
The EMS department is housed in a former firehouse that cannot hold all of the ambulances, does not allow for medication to be stored in a climate-controlled environment and does not provide enough space for trainings.
“These buildings are not holding up to the standards of what we need for our EMS,” said Cressoti.
The Police Department is also in need of more space for trainings and currently does not have a locker room designated for female officers. Cressoti said that the department’s firearms range is located at the Transfer Station, which negatively impacts and limits a variety of trainings since it can only be used during the day.
“As seen with the recent tragedy in Bristol, officers need to be trained for all scenarios, including shooting in the dark and ambush scenarios,” said Cressoti.
Cressoti said that developing the new public safety complex is also key in hiring the best candidates to work for and protect the town.
“In order to continue to attract quality candidates to work in EMS and the Police Department, we need to provide them with the tools they need to do their jobs on the front line,” he said.
Both the Police Department and EMS hosted open houses on Nov. 2 in support of the referendum, providing guided tours of the facility, and will work to answer any questions residents may have about the referendum.