The Town of Medway is seeking residents’ participation in an important Town Meeting on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 7PM, in the Medway High School Auditorium at 88 Summer Street. During this meeting, the Town will vote on the design phase of the new Public Safety/Town Hall Complex, proposed to be built at 120 Main Street on the former Medway Block property.

This project is a key step toward improving the community’s infrastructure by providing modern, efficient facilities for public safety services and Town operations in the central business district. With resident support, the design phase will move forward, bringing Medway closer to constructing facilities that will serve the needs of the community for years to come.

Need for new facilities

At a recent meeting of the Medway Select Board, Board Members and the Town Manager discussed the findings of two years of studies and reviews on this topic. At the center of the discussion was the recommendation put forth by the volunteer Facilities Study Committee that all three buildings, particularly the Fire & Police Stations, have reached the end of their useful life, do not meet the basic needs of public safety departments, and should be replaced. Insufficient space, a lack of required and appropriate facilities and resources for staff, severely lacking access for persons with disabilities, along with many other barriers and challenges were identified by the Facilities Study Committee as well as independent analysis done by the Town’s architectural consultant Gorman Richardson Lewis Architects, Inc.

Other considerations highlighting the need for new facilities:

Enhanced Safety: The new complex will house modernized facilities with much needed space for our police and fire departments, improving response times and emergency readiness, as well as supporting more effective overall operations.

Modernized Town Hall: A new Town Hall will streamline Town operations and provide improved services to residents in a centralized location.

Community Investment: This project represents a long-term investment in the future of Medway, fostering a safer and more efficient environment for residents and local government. 

An evolving and well-thought-out plan

In 2023, the Town conducted a feasibility study on the conditions, constraints, and challenges of our current Police, Fire, and Town Hall facilities. The newly acquired property at 120 Main Street was selected as the ideal location that aligns with the Master Plan goal of creating a revitalized and walkable downtown, reflecting the desires of Medway’s residents. In addition, it brings the Town’s public safety facilities to a location that is virtually located in the center of the community. This is acutely important in establishing a proper response starting point for Fire and Ambulance operations to ensure that first responders can reach all parts of the town inside of established protocols. This was one of the key factors used by the Town in its deliberations of the purchase of the eight-acre former Medway Block site in 2022.

With the assistance of the Town Manager and Finance Director, the Select Board has developed an estimated funding scenario for the project that avoids a Proposition 2½ override or debt exclusion. You can review this worksheet by visiting the town’s website at bit.ly/MedwayPublicSafetyTownHallFundingScenario. Please note, the estimates include potential revenue from the battery energy storage system (BESS) projects proposed in Medway. If these funds do not materialize, the funding scenario will require reconsideration. The funding plan, while recognized as optimistic for new revenues, has been identified as a tremendous opportunity to address long-term facility needs without adding an undue burden on taxpayers.

Upcoming video series

In early October, the Town will release a video series highlighting the results of the feasibility study and the immediate challenges posed by our current facilities. These videos will be available to watch on Medway Cable Access (Ch. 6 on Comcast or Ch. 35 on Verizon), and at new.medwaycable.com, and on Facebook @medwaycableaccess and @townofmedway, or the Town of Medway’s YouTube channel (@townofmedway).

For additional information, contact the Town Manager’s Office at 508-533-3264.