NEW LONDON — A town committee has identified a new location for a long-awaited new police station, but public support for the project may not be forthcoming amid concerns about costs and the need to prioritize other projects.

The Police Facilities Advisory Committee, formed in May, has zeroed in on the Garvey property at 0 Seamans Road, an undeveloped tract of land behind Colby-Sawyer College, as the site for the new station. The new facility would replace the current station, which has been in the historic Whipple Memorial Town Hall since 1918.

At about 8,700 square feet, the current New London police station is not big enough for police operations and the characteristics of the site mean there is no room to expand, Ashley Sybold, chair of the committee, said in a presentation Monday at the New London Selectboard winter gathering, driving the need for a new station.

Other issues include that the building shares a driveway with a private residence, which results in parking and security issues; cannot be moved through efficiently, is not compliant with the American Disabilities Act and elements of the building don’t meet industry code standards.

While the Garvey property — a less-central location than Whipple Hall which sits on the town green off of Main Street — is about 20 acres, the town plans to purchase three, Sybold said. The committee and town have not reached an agreement with the property owners about what the site will cost. They plan to reach a final purchase agreement for the land by Jan. 9, Seybold said.

More work also needs to be done to determine the total project costs, Selectboard Chairman Bill Helm emphasized at the meeting. The Selectboard and committee said that the presentation was intended to give residents a high level overview on the project without getting into specific details and numbers that may ultimately change. They plan to put a warrant article for the purchase on the March Town Meeting ballot.

“The longer we delay on this project, the more it will cost,” Helm said. “…We are not unaware of the numbers.”

Officials declined to provide numbers to the residents gathered at last week’s meeting. But a Dec. 3 breakdown of probable cost from Colliers Project Leaders, the firm managing the project, indicates it will cost about $14.8 million to build a proposed 14,000-square-foot, two-floor station on Seamans Road. This does not include the property purchase cost, which has not been finalized.

The decision not to provide prices to about 100 residents at Monday’s meeting and to move forward without a clear breakdown of project plans, costs and debt service was not popular with those gathered.

Even if the town only has planning numbers available to them residents ought to have a clear picture of the total cost to construct the building and to repurpose the current police station, not just the initial property cost, said resident Colin Beasley, who is also a former member of New London’s budget committee.

“Even with planning numbers, we should understand the total cost of a project,” Beasley said. “It’s a conversation we’ve had in the town for many years now and the total impact on the tax bill during the course of that project so that people can be informed when they make that decision.”

Ahead of Town Meeting, Beasley also requested that the town identify the bond value and tax impact of the total project.

Beasley’s opinion was echoed by other community members, including Tom Carley, a resident and current member of the trustees of the trust funds, who said he was “frustrated” by the town’s “fragmented and not comprehensive” financial planning in recent years.

Another repeated concern from residents was that the Selectboard should focus on resolving ongoing water issues rather than launching into a new project.

Issues with New London’s municipal water supply have come to light in recent months. Two major developments were stalled this fall — a 139-unit senior living facility and a 60-unit workforce housing project — after both properties were denied access to the Springfield-New London Water Precinct due to capacity restrictions and were unable to dig new groundwater wells due to contamination.

With water issues limiting development as New London also faces a growing need for workforce housing, water is at the top of residents’ minds.

“I think the main focus should be water,” resident Paula Minaert said. “Working on that and also taking into account the other upcoming expenses other than the police station.”

Police station upgrades have been under discussion for years.

At the 2023 Town Meeting, residents voted down a motion to allocate $375,000 to purchase land on the former Bewley property on Newport Road, 302-85. This was the one of 32 properties that a separate subcommittee evaluated for the future station.

At the time, residents also argued that New London was putting the cart ahead of the horse by purchasing a property without clear planning and cited the location of the property as deciding factors.

The Police Facilities Advisory Committee plans to finalize numbers and hold information sessions throughout the beginning of 2025 so that residents are informed ahead of Town Meeting, Seybold said. The Selectboard is scheduled to determine the bond value in February.

“We’re not trying to be secretive in this,” Seybold said. “We just want to be sure that the information we present to you is accurate so that you can make the best decision.”

Clare Shanahan can be reached at cshanahan@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.