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BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF PASCACK PRESS
RIVER VALE, N.J. —A proposed public safety complex—which may include a municipal court—took its first steps forward Oct. 9 when the Township Council introduced an ordinance to bond for $1 million for architectural design, engineering and related expenses for the new complex.
A public hearing and final vote on the bond ordinance is scheduled Oct. 22.
If approved, a request for proposals for an architectural design firm with expertise in designing police department facilities will likely be advertised within weeks, said Township Business Administrator Gennaro Rotella Oct. 15.
Rotella said the $1 million will be used to hire an architectural firm to design the new public safety complex, develop specifications, oversee the entire construction project, and pay for other “soft costs” such as environmental consultants and related expenses.
“The first step [after hiring a firm] is to come up with a design based on what we think we need and what is required,” said Rotella.
A couple years back, a spatial needs assessment for such a facility was done, Rotella said.
Rotella said the architectural design firm that is hired will likely be asked to do a couple designs, which will be reviewed by appropriate local officials, including the mayor, Town Council members, and police chief.
Rotella said a tentative timeline has a new public safety building design approved by mid-2019 and construction starting before the end of the year.
Rotella said the police jail cannot be used, and the municipal court is out of compliance with current standards for space accommodations.
“We’ve needed a new police facility for a while,” said River Vale Police Chief William Giordano, noting the current building was likely built in the 1960s.
He said the two holding cells are no longer usable as they don’t meet standards for lock-up facilities. The chief said current police standards require separate holding facilities for adults and juveniles.
Giordano said the spatial needs assessment found that the current facilities were not worth it to renovate and retrofit.
Giordano said he has regularly communicated with township officials over the past two years to talk about department needs in a new facility.
Some needs include secure sections that restrict public access; a patrol office, proper locker facilities including separate restrooms for male and female officers, a new lock-up facility, and space for an emergency operations center.
An emergency operations center is a central location from which police, EMS, fire department, ambulance and public works officials can coordinate local responses during a severe storm or power outage.
“The mayor and council are there for the community and work together for everyone in the community,” said Giordano, noting how supportive both have been in calls for a new facility.
Giordano said the police department has 21 employees including the chief, 11 officers, two lieutenants, five sergeants, a captain, and an administrative assistant.
Pascack Press recently featured a page-one article in September on the department’s newest unmanned aerial vehicle program (UAV), which utilizes two drones for emergency operations, crime scene investigations and public safety initiatives.
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