Cohasset Advances New Public Safety Building Project
Officials detail plans for facility at King Street to house police department and fire substation
COHASSET - March 4 - Cohasset officials are moving forward with plans for a new public safety building at 135 King Street, which will house the police department and a fire substation. The project aims to address space constraints and modernize facilities for both departments.
Police Chief William Quigley and Owner’s Project Manager Dan Pallotta presented an update to the Select Board Mar 4., outlining the progress made since the town purchased the existing office building at 135 King Street for $2.4 million in April 2024.
"We're going to do this right," Chief Quigley says. "This building won't be the envy of every police chief on the South Shore. We're just trying to get in with a reasonable budget and move the operation to a proper facility."
The existing police and fire station on Elm Street, built in 1961, has long outlived its intended 50-year lifespan. The current facility houses 37 police department employees and 26 fire department members in a building originally designed for eight officers.
"When I started, it was just a phone and a microphone on the desk," Quigley explains. "Now things have changed unbelievably. There's computers at every desk and strict rules regarding evidence."
The project team has completed several phases of planning, including structural engineering studies, code compliance reviews, and soil testing at the King Street site. The team has also engaged with state officials to address traffic concerns and emergency lighting needs.
Pallotta, with P3, explains that the existing King Street building requires significant upgrades to meet public safety standards.
"Changing the structure of the building to withstand obvious catastrophes that can occur, especially along the coast with the winds and the rains, the building has to be able to withstand much more pressures laterally," Pallotta says.
The conceptual design includes the existing building at the center, with a fire substation addition on the left featuring two bays, and a police sally port on the right. The project will maximize use of the existing two floors, with mechanical equipment housed in the building's mezzanine area.
Fire Chief John Dockray notes that the new substation will significantly improve response times to parts of town currently underserved.
"It probably will cut some of our response time to certain parts of town in half," Dockray says. "North Cohasset is about a nine-minute response time. The Beechwood ball field is about a 10-minute response time."
Dockray also points out that the town is bisected by a commuter rail line that can block emergency vehicles during train crossings, adding precious minutes to response times.
The project will be completed in phases, with construction of the King Street facility preceding renovations to the Elm Street campus. Once complete, the Elm Street building will house the fire department along with town offices, creating a one-stop location for permitting departments.
Additional benefits of the project include:
- Faster response times from Route 3A to the Beechwood area
- Updated facilities that comply with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements
- Code-compliant detention facilities
- Relocation of the Emergency Operations Center from the Deer Hill School basement
- Creation of a secure town data center
- Improved recruitment and retention capabilities
Select Board member Paul Grady emphasized the minimal investment the town has made in public safety facilities over the past 62 years.
"The figure I have in mind over 62 years that I've picked up is $1.8 million for small infrastructural upgrades," Grady says. "That factors into about maybe $49,000 over that period of time, a year."
Select Board member David Farrag notes the project is not a luxury but a necessity.
"This project is not a want, it is a need, and it's a very desperate need for Cohasset," Farrag says. "For far too long, you know, there's a saying goes, you're putting 10 pounds in a five-pound bag. Well, if you've gone on a tour of our police and fire station at 62 Elm, we're probably putting 15 pounds in a five-pound bag."
The project team plans extensive community engagement as they move forward, including presentations to various town boards and committees. They intend to go to town meeting with a bid in hand for the King Street project rather than just an estimate.
In other business, the Select Board:
- Approved event permits for the Cohasset Historical Society's Sea Shanty Shindig on September 5, 2025
- Approved the Three Beach Mini Half Marathon for September 27, 2025
- Heard a presentation from the Friends of Holly Hill Farm seeking $1 million in Community Preservation Committee funds to help purchase the last working farm in Cohasset
- Reviewed budget presentations from Permits Planning and Inspections, Board of Public Health, and Elder Affairs
- Approved an inter-municipal agreement with Hingham and Scituate for a Public Health Excellence grant worth $433,000 annually
The Select Board will meet March 11 in a joint session with the School Committee to review the school budget.
This post was edited to remove a cost estimate from the sub headline