Topping Off Ceremony
Sentinel & Enterprise
By: Danielle Ray
April 27, 2022
‘Topping off’ ceremony held for new Leominster Police station
LEOMINSTER — Public officials, City Councilors, project managers and builders gathered at the site of the new police station for a “topping off” ceremony on Monday afternoon.
The final vertical beam for the building was put into place for the long-awaited project that is slated to be completed by the end of June.
“It’s going very well, we are on time and on budget,” said CHA Construction Inc. Project Manager Alicia Monks. CHA Construction won the bid last year to build the station.
The beam was signed by many attendees including Mayor Dean Mazzarella, City Councilors, members of the police station building committee and police officers including Chief Aaron Kennedy. The beam was then lifted into place onto the third level of the building by CAT Telehandler operator Nick Buss with the help of other workers.
“It looks bigger from back here, it’s massive,” Mazzarella said of the towering structure that includes a lower-level parking area and three additional levels.
Because it is an active construction site and parking is at a premium right now due to that, the public was not invited but can watch the filmed event on Leominster Access Television.
The multimillion-dollar police station project has been well over two decades in the making. Kaestle Boos Associates Inc. designed the 30,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility that will feature more space than the current police station on Church Street and electronic kiosks in the lobby that will enable people to file and request police reports and more. The main entrance will be at 116 Central St. with a secondary and emergency entrance and exit on Lancaster Street.
Mazzarella gave a shout out to all the construction workers who worked throughout the winter to stay on schedule.
“It was maybe not the worst winter, but it was the windiest winter,” he said.
Monks said they only missed two workdays during the colder months due to the “nature of foundations and steel being vulnerable to weather.”
Mazzarella noted that the old police station was built in 1957 and reminded people that there was no tax increase through an override or debt exclusion to pay for the new station. He said the new station has been “built not just in words but in practicality.”
“The biggest thank you goes to the residents,” he said. “This is what it was built for the taxpayers.”
Mazzarella praised all involved with the “community-oriented” project including the contractors, subcontractors, building committee, city department heads, construction workers and more.
“It’s been a cooperative effort,” he said. “I hope you’re happy with what you see because you’ve all been part of it.”
CHA Project Manager Christina Opper addressed the crowd, saying “your hard work has been paying off. I look forward to celebrating the ribbon cutting.”
Kennedy, who has been with the police department for 27 years and chief for more than two years, said the new station is “going to be a great asset to the community.”
“Our residents are going to benefit from it. Thank you to everyone involved.”