BURLINGTON WEATHER

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Construction on Burlington's new police station at 45 Center Street is well underway — and the town just got some good news. According to Town Administrator John Danizio, the project is coming in under budget, with the town expected to bond approximately $34 million rather than the originally anticipated $46 million. This comes after $5 million of the project was paid for from free cash and estimates are coming in about $5-7 million lower than initial estimates.

The Center Street building was built in 1897 and housed the town's Union School from 1898 until 1972. For the next 20 years, the building housed a number of businesses and town programs until 1992, when the Police Department moved in. A number of renovations were performed over those 127 years, but fundamental issues - leaking ventilation systems and windows, ground water issues, problematic layout, and more – became impossible to ignore.

In 2023 the Police Station Building Committee was formed, commissioning the Kaestle Boos architectural firm to complete a feasibility study with $150,000 appropriated by Town Meeting in 2022. After the feasibility process was complete and a final design was chosen, the project went out to bid and CTA Construction Company (the same company recently chosen for the Fox Hill Elementary School Project) was hired for the job.

The former Vine Brook water treatment facility was renovated over the course of 2025 to create a temporary home for the department, which moved in at the beginning of November 2025.

Demolition got underway, just before thanksgiving, reducing the building to nothing seemingly overnight. The project is expected to take about two years. If everything goes as expected, Burlington's officers could be settling into their new home by early 2028.

Demolition progression of Burlington Police Department, formerly Burlington's Union School. Photos by Nicci Kadilak.

After decades of band-aid fixes, the new building will finally give the department what it needs. Among the improvements are functional ones such as proper secure evidence storage, adequate interview and holding rooms, better accessibility compliance, and modern HVAC and electrical systems. Additionally, the layout will be designed specifically for modern policing workflows rather than retrofitted from a 19th century school with better separation of public-facing and secure areas and proper locker rooms and facilities for officers.

Keep up with the progress of the new Burlington Police Headquarters at the project website, including a three-week schedule view and proposed renderings that highlight what the building is expected to look like when it's complete.

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