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Police station design update: staffing study calls for larger facility; town to refine costs before town meeting
Summary
Officials presented a design development update for a new Falmouth police station and a 2025 staffing study that recommends raising authorized sworn officers toward 87 (from ~68). Architects and the Police Station Advisory Committee outlined a reduced program (~43,744 sq ft main facility plus 4,500‑sq‑ft outbuilding), a multi‑stage design and bid timeline and a planning‑level ceiling estimate that will be refined ahead of town meeting.
Falmouth’s Police Station Advisory Committee and the police department updated the Select Board on the proposed new police station at 100 Brick Kiln Road and the department’s staffing analysis.
The committee reported the project is in design development with a program that focuses on mission‑critical spaces while moving some ancillary storage to a lower‑cost outbuilding. Tekton Architects said the current main facility program is about 43,744 gross square feet plus a 4,500‑square‑foot outbuilding for evidence storage and vehicle washing. The team said a 100% design‑development cost estimate is expected by mid‑September and construction bids are targeted for late winter/early spring of 2027 so that the town can present a warrant article and, if approved, a ballot question in May 2027.
Police leadership summarized a 2025 staffing study comparing Falmouth with a panel of 40 New England communities and concluded the town is below comparable staffing levels. The study recommended adding sworn officers (an operational baseline of about 87 officers) and more professional staff. Captain Doug DeCosta described the department as “severely understaffed” for current operations and noted the workload spikes during summer events, which increases demands on officers.
Architects said the design team trimmed the earlier, larger program (about 62,466 sq ft) to focus on resilient, essential services spaces and to reduce long‑term construction costs. They also described community‑oriented elements: a public lobby and memorial walk, a training/community room, evidence and records facilities and a de‑escalation simulation room. The architecture team said they will continue to refine the cost estimate; the current planning ceiling cited during the presentation was near $70 million, driven in part by resilience standards and potential geothermal and renewable energy elements.
Select Board members asked about the staffing assumptions, the 50‑year growth projection, likely operational costs associated with additional personnel, and voter appetite for a large capital bond. The Select Board asked staff to continue refining estimates and outreach ahead of the town‑meeting and ballot schedule.
