Public safety seeks consolidated Special Teams facility; Clarendon, Rutland and Williston projects outlined
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Summary
The Department of Public Safety asked committee members to fund a Special Teams (USAR/HAZMAT) facility to consolidate costly equipment now stored in inadequate leased or aging spaces; staff also updated the committee on Clarendon and Rutland field-station projects and noted siting, connectivity and funding challenges.
The Department of Public Safety told the House Corrections & Institutions Committee on Jan. 29 that it regards a consolidated Special Teams Building — to house Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and HAZMAT teams — as a top capital priority to protect expensive equipment and improve operational readiness.
“We have millions of dollars of equipment that are sitting ... without sprinkler coverage,” said Jennifer Morrison, Commissioner of Public Safety, describing current storage in an old AOT hangar and the deteriorating Williston barracks. Morrison said the Special Teams Building dates to a proposal in 2021–22 and would centralize specialized gear (boats, shoring and rope-rescue equipment, trailers and HAZMAT apparatus) now dispersed across leased or temporary spaces.
Why it matters: Committee members heard that the building would reduce recurring lease costs, improve protection of equipment and provide safer workspaces for personnel. Joe Wade, the agency project director for design and construction, told the committee the department has refined a “cookie-cutter” H-shaped barracks model and would use programming funds (a proposed FY27 $150,000 bond) to complete initial design and site evaluation.
Site and operations challenges: Wade said siting must consider microwave/radio loops and fiber access for communications towers and that retrofitting the old Williston barracks or leasing remain possible interim options. Commissioner Morrison added that roughly 90% of USAR’s part-time on-call responders live in Chittenden County, a factor favoring locations near that area for rapid deployment.
Field-station updates: The department also flagged the Rutland Field Station replacement and a Clarendon site purchase as projects moving forward. Wade said Clarendon had prior FY26 funding, an architect is being engaged, and the parcel’s configuration (L-shaped access via a secondary road) and utility coordination (including a Green Mountain Power line relocation) are being addressed. The committee discussed a planning estimate near $19 million for Clarendon and noted construction-market cost risk that could increase future funding requests.
Next steps: Staff said programming and schematic design must be completed before formal construction requests are filed with the capital bill; the department will continue site evaluation, include communications/tower connectivity checks and return to the committee with design documents and refined cost estimates.
The committee paused the funding discussion to weigh competing capital priorities across agencies and asked for further design information before committing to construction funding.
