Quincy council hears update on $175 million public safety headquarters; mayor’s office defends chosen public art

Quincy City Council members received a detailed construction and budget update Monday on the new Public Safety Headquarters — a multi-part project that includes a five‑story headquarters, secure parking structure, site hardening and off‑site infrastructure improvements — and pressed the mayor’s office over a recently announced public‑art installation on the building’s facade.

The update, led by the mayor’s chief of staff, Public Buildings Commissioner Paul Hines, and owner’s project manager Joseph (Joe) Shea of Granite City Partners, described the work completed so far and the plan to begin occupying the new facility in October 2025. “We are driving for October 2025 to start to occupy the building,” Shea told the council. Chief Mark Kennedy said the new building will centralize police, fire and emergency management functions and provide spaces now lacking in the existing facility, including private interview rooms, a fitness center and an indoor firing range.

Why it matters: the project ties together a long list of improvements that the administration says will harden the site against storm surge and improve emergency response while also creating operating savings and future electric‑vehicle infrastructure. At the same time, the mayor’s office drew criticism from several councilors and members of the public after the administration announced two large figurative sculptures for the facade; councilors said they were unaware of the artwork until it was publicly reported and asked for a clearer process for public art on major city projects.

Project scope and schedule City officials described the overall program as an aggregate $175,000,000 effort that bundles the…