Ground broken for new Milford Police Station

A groundbreaking was held for the new Milford Police Department building on July 27

On Wednesday, July 27, city and state officials broke ground for the new Milford Police Station which will be constructed across the street from the current station. Construction is expected to be completed by March 2023.

“This is a big day for Milford,” Mayor Archie Campbell said. “It is great for us to be building this police station right here. It is a big day not only for Milford, but for the chief, for council and everyone else who has worked so hard for this to happen.”

Mayor Campbell pointed out that he was happy to begin construction on the new building but sad that he was losing his “buddy,” Chief Kenneth Brown who will retire the first of August. When he announced his retirement, Chief Brown stated that he had hoped to remain through the construction, but his wife, who owns a funeral home in Laurel, needed his help there.

“I just want to thank everyone for attending today,” Representative Bryan Shupe, who served as Milford’s mayor for several years, said. “This is the exciting point where we get to break ground. There’s been so much that has led up to this point for decades. I remember being the mayor and working on this. Before I was there, other members of council were working on this. Councilwoman [Katrina] Wilson, I remember you working on this in committee. This has taken us years and countless volunteers, countless hours of council meetings with the public in order to make sure that they have what they want from their local police force.”

Representative Shupe also thanked the first responders for being patient.

“While dealing with an outdated building, they have been able to serve our community and protect our citizens,” Representative Shupe said. “Even without the resources they needed, they were patient, and this is our commitment to them, demonstrating that we are invested in you all. Thank you for staying on board to make sure that this comes to fruition starting today.”

In January 2021, Milford residents went to referendum to approve the purchase of up to $20 million in bond bills in order to construct a new station. Of the 586 voters, 390 (67 percent) voted to approve the sale of bonds to cover the cost of the new police station. Even before the passage of the referendum, the city announced that it would appoint a Police Facility Citizens Advisory Committee who would be responsible for project oversight and design before they were presented to council for final approval.

In 2022, Richard Y. Johnson & Son was selected as the project manager for the station and the final bid estimates place the cost of the building at $16,171,916 although the city will only need to borrow $15,366,322, placing the cost well below the $20 million maximum allowed under the bond. Lou Vitola, Finance Director for the city explained that the cost to property owners would be just over $100 per year or just under $9 per month.