The Cazenovia Town Board last week announced that the town will tear down the former town highway garage in New Woodstock that currently serves as a New York State Police substation and will replace it with a modular home with detached garage — although the new substation may not be located in the same place. The board is currently seeking resident input to see if people want the police station to stay in the same location, somewhere else in New Woodstock, someplace else in Cazenovia or not in Cazenovia at all. Another question is what to do with the current substation lot if the building is removed from the location completely. “We should look at this as a community thing, not just a police thing,” said Councilor Tom Driscoll, who has been spearheading the issue for the board as the liaison to the state police. “Where do the state police fit in our community and where does the community want to be in the future?” The issue was discussed in detail at the board’s Feb. 9 regular monthly meeting, which was held in the New Woodstock Fire Department. The meeting included a special public comment period on the police barracks plan to receive input from New Woodstock residents. About 20 local residents attended the meeting. The board has been investigating the idea of replacing the New Woodstock police barracks for nearly one year at the behest of state police officials, who would like to be housed in a better, more up-to-date building. This desire coincides with the town board’s desire to eliminate the old highway department building, which has become somewhat of an eyesore in the hamlet. The board announced last week that it has already purchased a 1,100-square-foot modular home with a three-car detached garage to be used as a new barracks, but before they begin the demolition and building process they want to know where local residents want the police to reside, if they want them around at all. State police officials have told the board they want their substation to remain somewhere in Cazenovia, but they have no particular preference as to where in the town, said Supervisor Bill Zupan. “They’re just excited to get a new facility,” said Councilor Pat Race.
According to the board, the plan is to tear down the building this year, and temporarily locate the state police in the town highway garage at 3425 Constine Bridge Road while the construction process occurs. If the police barracks are removed from its Route 13 location, the board is considering turning the lot into public parking and green space, but the final decision would be based on hamlet resident input, Race said. Resident comments on the issue all supported the plan for a new substation, but were mixed on where it should be located. A few residents suggested moving the barracks to a different location because they would prefer to see a parking lot and possible green space on Route 13. “Parking is at a premium here in New Woodstock, and if the current location were vacated it could be all-night parking and might allow for an upgrade to the existing town park,” said resident Roger Cook. Other residents said they want to keep the barracks in New Woodstock because the police presence makes the area safer. “I like the idea of having them here,” said resident Paul Schmidt. “Once you give that up it’s hard to get it back.” The board is not going to make an immediate decision on this issue, and is still seeking public feedback, they said at the meeting. Driscoll said he is also still working with the state police to get more information from them, such as where the bulk of their local calls occur and therefore where the location of the new substation would be best suited. The cost of the entire project will be borne by the town of Cazenovia, as it has been since the police entered the barracks in New Woodstock, Zupan said. Driscoll said the cost of the modular home recently purchased by the town for the new barracks was “less than $40,000,” while the costs to demolish the current police substation on Route 13 has yet to be determined. The costs of the project, however, are “well under any sort of projected budgets that we expected to do,” he said. “So it is quite a savings.” Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].