North Kingstown leaders propose up to $60 million bond to replace aging police and fire facilities

North Kingstown officials on July 15 outlined a proposal to replace the town's consolidated police and fire headquarters with a two-site configuration and asked the council to allow a ballot question not to exceed $60,000,000.

Fire Chief Scott Katell and Police Chief John Urban told the Town Council that the base building, first constructed in 1957 and altered several times, suffers from structural deterioration, cramped workspaces, failing mechanical systems and inadequate secure parking. Police Chief Urban said the detention area and holding cell layout pose safety and liability risks and described water penetration that has caused walls to crumble in key operational spaces.

The project team said an initial space assessment had been reduced from about 80,000 square feet to roughly 52,000 square feet, and an updated schematic-design cost estimate came in at about $64.8 million. After a series of value-engineering steps the team reported it could reduce costs to roughly $61 million and asked the manager and council to place a ballot question capped at $60 million; the proposal splits functions between a Davisville site (public safety/police with fire administration and dispatch) and a new Wickford fire station to house existing equipment.

Town Manager Ralph explained the financing approach would be designed around a projected "debt cliff" in the town's schedule, using bond anticipation notes and other structuring to smooth taxpayer impacts. He said construction would target starting the Public Safety Building in April 2026 and the Wickford fire station in September 2027 if voters approve funding and bids align with estimates. The manager also pledged a public information campaign after Labor Day to present fiscal-impact scenarios and potential debt schedules ahead of the November ballot.

Chief Urban described programmatic features of the Davisville facility, including dedicated evidence storage, interview rooms, training spaces and a community room intended for public trainings and revenue-generating events. Chief Katell emphasized that the Wickford design adds one vehicle bay of reserve space so the town can house a spare engine locally rather than retrieving spares from Quonset Point.

Council members repeatedly thanked the chiefs for their transparency and for seeking cost efficiencies. No formal vote to place the question on the ballot was taken July 15; the council voted to continue the public hearing and take further comment on August 5, when the advertised public hearing will occur.