It’s been several years since Bow residents started pondering whether a new public safety building was necessary.
And as the ribbon across the front entrance fell during an open house Thursday afternoon, hundreds of residents were keen to find out whether it was worth the wait – and the controversial cost.
“It’s fantastic,” said Charlie Griswold, a member of the Bow Community Men’s Club and a Bow resident for 30 years. “I’ve been a fan of the project since its original conception, and I’m glad it’s here.”
For Griswold, the building represented countless spaghetti suppers and pancake breakfasts, which the men’s club, along with other groups, would put on as fundraisers for the project. He said the club works out of the Bow Community Center – the old home of the town’s fire department – and for years would see the difficulties the department faced with the building’s cramped quarters.
“Me and my wife have supported it from the get-go because we’ve always seen the need,” he said.
The $4.3 million building means the town’s fire department, police department and emergency management services are under one roof, a thought that was comforting to Liz Rogers. She lives on Jonathan Lane off Knox Road, and is within walking distance to the public safety building. The idea of being able to hear sirens from her home did not bother her.
“I’m actually glad,” she said. “The police and fire department are good neighbors to have.”
Hannah Carbonneau and her 6-year-old son, Ben, were among the several parent-and-child groups taken on guided tours through the building by first responders, who were happy to point out its features. They were shown shiny holding cells and a yellow stripe used to conduct field sobriety tests in the police department’s processing room, as well as the fire department’s three bunk beds and large bays for its vehicles.
For Carbonneau, who toured the old fire department last winter, the size of the building stood out most.
“It was tiny, and a lot of the equipment was dated,” she said, watching as Ben got the chance to climb into a police cruiser.
The project broke ground last August. Emergency personnel were moved into the building in early June, town manager David Stack said. The building, at 24,000 square feet, was designed to be 27 percent larger than the old space the town had for its police, fire, rescue and emergency management departments.
The completion of the project may have taken less than a year, but the building has been a long time coming. A $7.7 million proposal went before the town in 2013, but fell 48 votes shy of the two-thirds majority required to pass. The following year, the price tag dropped about $1 million, but the project was again voted down. It was finally approved by voters last year.
For Bow select board member Colleen Hunter, the wait made the end result all the sweeter.
“I’m so proud of everyone who made this happen. It really shows what Bow can accomplish when people work together,” she said. “It shows that we’re a community that is proud of and supports our first responders.”
(Caitlin Andrews can be reached at 369-3309, candrews@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @ActualCAndrews.)