Breaking ground
Ceremony celebrates start of new Romulus public safety building
Romulus officials, first responders and community members met in a vacant field near Wick and Vining roads last Friday to commemorate the past and celebrate the future of public safety.
The event, specifically scheduled on Sept. 11, was a groundbreaking ceremony for the new public safety headquarters in the city. The date, officials noted, was timed to remember the heroic work of first responders during 9-11 and mark the long-awaited construction of the new police and fire headquarters in the community.
Before city officials placed the ceremonial shovels into the ground, the crowd paused to remember the thousands who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks and honor the heroic police and fire departments who worked at the site.
The new headquarters building will be constructed without any increased tax levy on residents, explained Mayor Robert McCraight. In June, members of the Romulus City Council approved the sale of $45 million tax-increment bonds to finance a new public‑safety headquarters, purchases of technology and emergency equipment, and agreements to support infrastructure projects. Officials said the project will modernize facilities for police and fire and that residents should not see a direct tax increase as a result.
"It's exciting," said Romulus Police Chief Robert Pfannes. "They've been trying to get this facility for the last 35 years." He added that the current police headquarters is in a former elementary school in a city neighborhood.
"A 100-year-old school building — it doesn't meet any of the needs of a modern police station," he said.
City leaders said the new site will also improve emergency response times.
"This is much more centrally located," Pfannes said. "The area where the station used to be is basically on a side street in a neighborhood. While residents liked it, it was not a good place for response, and we were routinely stopped by trains."
Fire Chief Dave Heavener said the building will hold nearly all fire department administration along with a four-bay station for crews responding to fire and EMS calls.
Heavener acknowledged the significance of the timing of the groundbreaking and reflected on the sacrifices made by first responders in the attacks, 25 years ago.
"Three hundred forty-three firefighters died that day from FDNY," Heavener said. "The common thing following that event was 'never forget,' and I think things that we've done here today and what we continue to do prove we're committed to not forgetting."
McCraight said the current police station no longer serves the department adequately.
"The men and women who risk their lives for this community deserve better than a repurposed 100-year-old school building," McCraight said. "They have been promised a better facility for nearly 50 years, and my administration intends to honor that commitment."
Officials said they hope to have the new headquarters operational in 2028.
