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New Providence council reviews near-$10 million plan for police headquarters, weighs asbestos and financing
Summary
Borough officials reviewed architects’ designs and a nearly $10 million cost estimate for a proposed new police headquarters, discussed a 20-year bond that would add about $135 per year to an average homeowner’s tax bill, and flagged asbestos and sequencing questions before further finance committee review.
The New Providence Borough Council heard a presentation on a proposed new police headquarters that officials estimated would cost just under $10 million.
CFO Jim Tes told the council the architects’ construction estimate is about $8,341,324, with technology, furniture and moving costs near $700,000 and soft costs (professional services, surveys, bonding and advertising) of roughly $944,000, producing an all-in project estimate of about $9,985,324. "It's just a tad under $10 million in total costs," Tes said.
The administration proposed financing largely by municipal bonds. Tes said the borough would apply a roughly 5% local down payment from capital-improvement funds, bond the remainder and use a 20-year amortization for planning. Using 2024 ratables and an assumed interest rate of about 3.5 percent, he estimated the average home (which he cited at roughly $740,000 this year) would pay about $135 per year over 20 years to fund the project.
Architects described their estimating method, saying they use a multi-decade database plus RSMeans (an industry cost index) and a regional location factor tied to Newark. One architect likened RSMeans to "Kelly's Blue Book" for construction pricing to explain how material and labor inputs are applied.
Speakers warned that site-specific risks remain. The CFO said asbestos in the existing building is an uncertain line item: the team allocated roughly $52,000 for initial remediation but cautioned that amount "could very easily double" depending on what remediation reveals.
Council members pressed staff on the roughly $1 million increase from an earlier 2023 estimate. Architects and staff said a 16-month gap between estimates, a slightly larger building footprint after reconfiguring patrol and support spaces, and scope changes—not only market escalation—account for much of the change.
Officials outlined a tentative schedule: go to bid in April, award in May, and a construction period of 17 to 18 months, targeting completion in December 2027 or January 2028. Staff also discussed options for temporary relocation during construction; renovating the old borough hall as interim office space was estimated at around $4 million but was described as likely insufficient for police operations, reinforcing the argument for new construction.
Chiefs and staff emphasized operational changes since the building was last renovated in 1982, noting increased training and accreditation demands. "Training is probably the most inundating" need officials cited when explaining why new or reconfigured space is required.
After the presentation the council closed public comments (none were offered) and a motion (text not specified in the transcript) was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. Council members directed further review by the finance and capital committees and said more detailed line-item comparisons between the prior and current estimates would be provided at a future meeting.
What comes next: staff and the architects will refine estimates in the next design phases and the finance and capital-review committees will work on debt scheduling and broader town capital priorities before any bond authorization is finalized.
