Norwich — Members of the City Council on Monday night voted to add a question to the Nov. 3 ballot asking residents to approve $55 million to renovate the former Chelsea Groton Bank building at 300 Main St. into a new police station. Last year, the police department offered public tours of the current 47-year-old police station at 70 Thames St. The tours showcased the building’s insufficient storage and interview space, lack of changing rooms for female officers and numerous other problems, including mold and water from a leaky roof that threatens computer equipment.
Police officials have repeatedly boasted how the former bank building at 300 Main St. would provide much more space, including more interview rooms, and locker rooms for the department’s female officers. The department currently has 73 officers — while the current station was built to accommodate only 51. Over the years, the city has made several attempts to build a new police station, but those proposals were rejected at referendum or earlier. The only council member to speak prior to the vote Monday was Mayor Swarnjit Singh. “This need is not new. It existed for decades. And prices keep going up. From $33 million to $44 million to $55 million. And they’re not coming down. I do construction for a living so I do know,” Singh said. “And I feel like it fits the overall vision of creating better public safety for our people. And as we are growing downtown, this has become a need as well.”

https://theday.com/news/916369/norwich-to-put-55m-police-station-to-nov-3-vote/