The bulk of the $950,000 would be spent on the police department to address the lingering asbestos and black mold issue

By Otis Roessler, for the Community News Service

WINOOSKI — On Tuesday, March 3, Winooski residents will cast their votes on an array of articles for Town Meeting Day. One of the ballot items, Article 7, is a bond that would allow the City of Winooski to renovate the Police Department and City Hall, which share a location at 27 West Allen St. 

If approved, the city will borrow no more than $950,000 to renovate the buildings, though this price could go down pending state or federal aid. 

The bond would be paid off over the next few years, eventually causing a slight property tax increase, according to City Manager Elaine Wang. 

So the question is, are the renovations necessary? 

City Hall would get cosmetic upgrades to the carpet and wall paint. But the bulk of the money would be spent on the police department to address the lingering asbestos and black mold issue. 

According to the official estimate from Bread Loaf Corporation, a Middlebury-based design and build firm working with the city, as much as $895,250 of the total bond could go toward renovations for the station. 

The police station has remained unchanged since 1975. Due to its age and lack of maintenance, the facility started deteriorating “a long time ago,” Police Chief Justin Huizenga said. 

In particular, the facility’s flooring sparked concern amongst officers, according to Huizenga. Since the building is so old, he said there was speculation that the flooring was made with hazardous materials. 

In 2023, KD Associates of South Burlington administered tests and found the floor was 35% chrysotile, or white asbestos, Huizenga said. Chrysotile has been banned by the EPA since 2024 for its links to cancer. 

Chrysotile isn’t dangerous on its own. But it becomes a problem when it is broken down and the particles become airborne. 

“Every time we sit in a chair, roll it across the floor, every time we take a step, every time we have the custodians vacuum, we’re breaking this floor down a little bit more,” Huizenga said. 

Cpl. James Learned, a member of the force for over 15 years, said the floor beneath his chair has chipped down to bare concrete, exposing chrysotile. 

Asbestos is a problem for the police department, but is far from the only one. Black mold has been found in the HVAC system, which now requires a full repair. 

City officials are still unsure of the renovation’s final cost, but they are sure it will not eclipse the estimation made by Bread Loaf Corp. With the lack of certainty surrounding the extent of the mold, it is possible that the renovations could be cheaper than expected. 

The department’s bathrooms also need upgrades. Neither of the two rooms is compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act, affecting the department’s ability to hire civilian dispatcher and administrative positions.

Additionally, there is no bathroom in the holding cell. This means officers must escort detainees to the restroom. In one instance, a detainee barricaded themselves in the bathroom, requiring officers to remove them with force, Learned said. 

Outside of the public health concerns, there are also myriad cosmetic issues with the facility that would be addressed in the renovation project. The gym lockers are overflowing with equipment, there are holes in the walls, ceiling tiles are falling in and the bathroom fixtures, exit signs and light switches don’t work properly. 

Huizenga is hopeful that the ballot item will pass, citing a supportive city council. 

“We really like our city. We feel our city really likes us,” he said. 

If the article were to fail, this would not be the end of the line for the proposed renovations. Wang, who is in charge of the budget, said staff will recommend that the council use the fund balance, money left over from the previous fiscal year, instead. 

But there are downsides to this approach. The fund balance is reserve money, meant to be spent on unforeseen emergencies. 

“This is not an emergency,” Wang said. “We’ve been seeing this coming for decades.” 

Winooski voters will have the final say on March 3. If Article 7 is to pass, work will begin in the summer. If it fails, the city will seek out another avenue to pay for the renovations.

Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont internship program for the Winooski News