By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

On the second floor of the Kennett Township Building, its police department and its 11 officers, police chief and administration occupy a 2,000-square-foot space, the confines of which are woefully unsuited for a modern police unit.

There is no lobby space.

There is no dedicated interview-interrogation room.

There are no secure prisoner processing areas.

Prisoners are secured on a bench that was originally designed to be a women’s room, which is located across the hall from the men’s locker room, which was once used as a slop closet. 

The inconveniences don’t end there.

“Then there’s the resident experience,” said Public Works Director Ted Otteni. “You enter through a side door of the Township Building, and sometimes, you’re standing in the rain or intense heat and trying to hold onto your kids and speaking into an intercom.”

“We were never an idea when the township constructed the township building in 2003, because at the time, they were relying solely on the Pennsylvania State Police for coverage,” said Kennett Township Police Chief Matt Gordon. “It wasn’t until about 2015 that the township began to seriously address the future of its police department. When I came in 2016, we had six officers and came to grips that there is a need for a full-time police department to meet the needs of the community.

“Unfortunately, we only have the second floor of the building and have been making incremental improvements to upgrade our equipment, our vehicles and trying to bring our department into compliance.”

This crammed bandbox currently serves the needs of more than 9,200 residents of Kennett Township, making the need for a future home for its police department more than just a far-off pipedream, but a desperately needed blueprint for modern-day policing.

‘Everything we need’

In September of 2024, the township – spearheaded by Gordon, Otteni and Township Manager Alison Dobbins – began to address the township’s need for a separate police facility. Working with Ambler, Pa.-based GKO Architects, the team developed an assessment of current conditions and inventory and a need analysis for future staffing, which was followed by a feasibility study and a public presentation Dobbins and Otteni made at the Aug. 6 Board of Supervisors meeting.

During the presentation, Dobbins and Otteni said that GKO introduced three different design scenarios for the facility adjacent to the Township Building, among them a 17,000 square-foot layout concept.

Ultimately, the township has chosen to explore the construction of an 11,500 square-foot facility, which is expected to be built adjacent to the Township Building.

“GKO told us that the 17,000 square-foot model was calculated based on housing units in the township, our population and the spacing needs of our department,” Dobbins said. “We looked at the concept and said that it was more than what we were looking for. While their concept was the ideal space from an architect’s perspective, we chose to scale down their ideas based on what we wanted to see in Kennett Township. 

“This isn’t just about the needs of the police department, but the needs of the entire township staff – both sides of the township administration. While the building will be for the police, some of that will reflect the administration’s growing needs.”

Saying that the 11,500 square-foot location “is everything we need,” Gordon defined the layout of the new facility as “achieving a great flow,” from “hard areas” like a sally port, an evidence and prisoner processing area and holding cells on one side of the building, separated from “soft areas” that will include a front lobby, department offices and upgraded facilities for the entire police staff.  

“The key advantage of this building is that we are all staying together on the same property,” Gordon said. “We interact with the administrative staff daily, and I would rather do that in person than by phone. Additionally, if a resident comes to the Township Building for information, we’re also able to facilitate their needs without having them drive to two locations.”

The current cost estimate for the new facility will be $10 million, which is projected to include design and engineering, construction, furnishings and fit outs, as well as contingency and escalation costs. In terms of its financing strategy, Dobbins said that the township plans to use $2 million of its existing funds, establish a 25-year bond for $8 million, and consider raising the township’s per household property taxes by $152 a year, based on a 2025 average assessed value.  

Dobbins said that the township will be hosting a public open house and information session in late September. She said the township will designate 2026 as the “design year” for the proposed facility, when they will also prepare methods of funding.

“We are sensitive to the fact that there are residents who will have concerns about their property taxes,” Dobbins said, “which is why we will be doing as much as possible to educate the public over the next several weeks, so that when we go into budgetary discussion with the board this fall, we have as much public input as possible.”

While it is still too early to definitively state when the first shovel will hit the ground on the new facility, Gordon is already praising what the new facility will mean to the residents of Kennett Township.

“When they come to a facility that the township has endorsed, our residents will know that they will be dealing with a professional police department in a professional facility, and that their needs are being met,” he said. “It will also establish a sense of confidence in their police department and also promote a better sense of safety, for everyone.” 

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].