Groundbreaking set for safety center in Edison

Home News Tribune Online 03/20/08

By LALITA ALOOR AMUTHAN
STAFF WRITER

EDISON — The construction of a new public safety center in Raritan Center, a project that has been in the works for years, is slated to start in April.

The 17,045-square-foot building, which will provide an additional facility for the Police Department, a new fire station and EMS facility, is being donated by the Frank Visceglia Foundation, one of the owners of Raritan Center.

Construction of the building, which will cost approximately $5 million, is expected to be completed by the end of the year, township planner Brandy Forbes said.

The building will also offer training rooms, something that has been lacking so far, leaving the departments to shop around for privately-owned spaces to conduct their training.

"Right now, we conduct our training any place we can find space. The training rooms are going to be very useful to both the fire and police departments," Fire Chief Norman Jensen said.

Six fire stations are spread around the township, but none is located at Raritan Center, and the new facility would help balance the coverage.

"Adequate training space was our number-one priority when we were asked to prioritize what our desires for this building would be," added Capt. Robert Ellmyer of the Police Department.

Ellmyer said the new facility will help the Police Department maintain a presence in one of the largest industrial parks in the area.

The municipality owns the property, which is at the intersection of Raritan Center Parkway and Parkway Place.

The project is in the bidding phase, Forbes said.

The federal business centers are coordinating on behalf of the foundation on bidding and implementation of the project. The foundation is also donating a pumper (fire) truck and an EMS vehicle, Forbes said.