By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

In September of 2024, Kennett Township began to address what has perhaps been their most consequential “elephant in the room” – the cramped headquarters of their police department, an office that is shoe-horned into the second floor of the Kennett Township Building. 

At the Board of Supervisors meeting on Aug. 6, township Manager Alison Dobbins and Director of Public Works Ted Otteni gave a presentation that introduced a feasibility study and three different design scenarios for a proposed new police facility that had been created by Ambler, Pa.-based GKO Architects. Following discussion with the board, the township chose to explore the potential of constructing an 11,500-square-foot facility that will include “hard areas” like a sally port, an evidence and prisoner processing area and holding cells on one side of the building, and “soft areas” that will include a front lobby, department offices and upgraded facilities for the entire police staff.  

While the project is still very much at the drawing board stage and no final decision has been reached on whether a new police facility will be built, the township’s plans have called for the inclusion and input of its residents, and on Sept. 24, it held an open house that created a forum for feedback and included a tour of the police department’s current offices.

Police Chief Matt Gordon said he was impressed – but not surprised – at the open house’s attendance, which saw a steady stream of residents throughout the event.

“Any time you talk about a potential $10 million purchase, it gets people’s attention,” he said. “The photographs are one thing, but in opening up the doors to our current offices, the reality of it tells the entire story. Our facility is unsafe and when this building was designed, the police department was an afterthought. Trying to conduct a police department in the day and age of best practices and the need for accreditation is a real struggle to meet these standards. 

“We would like to see ourselves in a more modern facility if we could.”

The estimated $10 million cost of the new facility – which is proposed to be built adjacent to the Township Building - will include design and engineering, construction, furnishings and fit outs, as well as contingency and escalation costs. In order to finance it, 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.  

Township resident Ron Stellon said that the township should pursue less-costly solutions for its police department.

“I am frustrated with the data the township presented that shows that the township’s population has grown by about 50 percent in the last 20 years, but the township’s [police] staffing has increased by over 400 percent,” he said. “I really question how the township is being managed, along with a proposed tax increase for a $10 million expansion I am not sure that we need.

“I think the supervisors need to do a much better job in managing the budget, and I think there are alternatives for the space they need in the short-term. I worked for private industry for many years, and we didn’t build new buildings every time we needed more space. Are there rental opportunities somewhere in the township or in Kennett Township or in Kennett Square for office space? Can we use modular buildings at a much cheaper cost? I really want to get some answers as to why we need this $10 million building.”

Township Supervisor Patricia Muller said that the purpose of the event was to demonstrate the urgent need to explore the possibility of expansion.

“This is the whole point of tonight’s gathering – to show people why we need to expand and reconfigure our police department,” she said. “We have put walls up that people thought weren’t possible [in the police department]. We have two to three people utilizing office space that had been reserved as a copy room. 

“We have tried for years to hold the line on police facility expansion, and at this point in time, we have looked at all of the other options available to us, and this [proposal] seems to be the only viable option left that makes sense.”

Muller emphasized that the proposed police facility remains in concept form only, and that there may be several more iterations of designs to come, but before any final decision is reached, each stage will be funneled through township residents for feedback.

“Our residents are part of the equation,” she said. “We are constantly looking for their input about what they want. We don’t want to over-build, but by the same token, we don’t want to under-build. If we under-build, we’re not laying any kind of framework for the future.”

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