A Crowd Celebrates Monroe's Police Station Renovation

A small crowd basking in the bright rays of sunshine illuminating the new entrance to the Monroe Police Department on Saturday morning had come to celebrate the completion of the $4.1 million renovation and addition project.

Police Commission Chairman Ronald Villani reminded everyone the project was a long time coming, saying Chief John Salvatore approached him one day with renovation plans he had found and dusted off.

"I said, 'You and I should be so lucky to be alive to see the spade go into the ground,'" Villani said, looking up from the podium and turning to Salvatore and adding, "Chief, we made it."

A number of town officials received praise for the project, but Villani wanted to be sure to express his gratitude to one particular group ... the voters who approved the project at a Town Meeting.

"It took courage to do that in a tough economic time," Villani said. "I want to thank you for giving the men and women of this department the type of facility they deserve."

First Selectman Steve Vavrek thanked everyone involved with the project.

To the female officers and staff he said, "No more getting dressed in a commode and showering in a closet."

To the dispatchers, Vavrek said, "No longer will you be working with leaky windows and walls, broken flooring and wires to who knew where all around you."

Other officials attending Saturday's ceremony included State Rep. DebraLee Hovey, Police Capt. Michael Flick, every member of the building committee, architect Brian Humes and clerk of the works Frank Bent.

J.P. Sredzinski, chairman of the building committee, praised Dolphin Construction, Bent, Interim Public Works Dir. Chris Nowacki, Flick, Fire Marshall Bill Davin, Police Lt. Brian McCauley and Finance Dir. Carl Tomchick.

Sredzinski said whenever Humes was asked to make a change to the project, "no questions asked", Humes would say, "Give it to me and I'll get it done."

Sredzinski also thanked Hovey for "jumping through hoops" to keep the town from losing state funding it secured for the project as it faced constant delays over the years.

Hovey presented Salvatore with a proclamation from the State Legislature congratulating the town for its renovated police station.

Other members of Monroe's state delegation, senators Kevin Kelly and Anthony Musto, were invited to the ceremony, but could not attend, according to Vavrek.

A representative for U.S. Rep. Jim Himes spoke in his place and Town Council Chairwoman Enid Lipeles, who could not make it due to a family wedding, gave Sredzinski a letter to read.

Chief Salvatore thanked Himes and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal for their support, past Monroe first selectmen Karen Burnaska and Andy Nunn for pursuing the project early on and Vavrek "for finally bringing the plan to the town."

The ceremony was followed by a ribbon cutting and a tour of the police station.

Visitors saw the new lobby, a community conference room with a slideshow of before and after photos of the building, and the dispatch center which is equipped with monitors showing camera footage from every school.

The tour included the records area, lockers, administrative offices, cell block with modern bar-less cell doors and the processing area.

Older wooden doors throughout had been refurbished in a state prison workshop where they were made to look like new.

The tour ended in the new sallyport - a garage where prisoners are brought inside a secure area - where cake was served.