Ground broken on new public safety center
Will house police, fire and EMS workers as well as provide training space
BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer
Edison Township officials joined with local business owners in breaking ground on the new public safety center in Edison during an unusually cold morning on May 22.

A rendering of the new public safety center in Edison.

The ceremony, attended by many residents, including members of the Township Council, police, fire and emergency medical service (EMS) officers, featured speeches from those involved in the project as well as performances by a pipe and drum band, an invocation fromMonsignor Robert Zamorski, and a keynote address from Col. Rick Fuentes, New Jersey State Police superintendent.

The groundbreaking took place at Raritan Center, a commercial park whose owners donated the land for the 17,045- square-foot facility as well as the funds to build it, about $5 million.

The facility, which Mayor Jun Choi expects to be open by early next year, will house police, fire and EMS personnel all under one roof. It is intended to be a stateof the-art facility and will have a full training center for all the township's public safety personnel, who currently need to go elsewhere for professional instruction. There will be room for computer and physical training as well as space for seminars, which will enable the township to host expert professionals as well. Choi said that coordination between different branches of public safety is essential in improving emergency response in town.

"In this post-9/11 world, it's essential that we work together with many agencies," said Choi.

The importance of coordination between police, fire and EMS was a theme repeated multiple times throughout the ceremony, something that people said would definitely be helped through the placement of personnel from all three services in the same building.

Fuentes, during his address, noted that fire and police could help each other, for example, in sharing information about the nature of certain buildings, noting that fighting fires at, say, a methamphetamine lab might be particularly dangerous and require contact with police.

Conversely, he noted that some firefighters report gang members stopping fire trucks from getting near burning buildings until incriminating evidence is cleared. Compounding this, he said, is the fact that New Jersey is vital for the nation's economy as a whole, making it an inviting target for terrorists.

"When it comes to public safety in this state … the most important thing we can do as a consortium is to exchange information," said Fuentes.

This coordination also is intended to help provide a rapid response to emergencies.

The Edison Public Safety Center will be a fully functioning fire station and is intended to provide more balanced coverage in the area. Even though Edison currently has six firehouses spread evenly throughout most of the township, there is no facility in Raritan Center, where the property is assessed at more than $335 million.

Diego Visceglia, president of Summit Associates, who, with his brother Peter, runs Raritan Center, said the decision to help create the public safety center there was inspired by the desire to give back to a community that had provided them with many benefits.

"Part of our responsibility as citizens of Edison is to give back a portion of the benefits we receive from Edison to Edison," said Visceglia.

Having police, fire and EMS so nearby the property, he said, also doesn't hurt, noting that there have been several fires at Raritan Center over the past few years. The public safety center will allow emergency personnel to respond more quickly to matters in their area.

"It's good for Edison and it's good for Raritan Center to have a police and fire presence here. We do get fire trucks in here, too, regularly, and for them to be located here makes it more convenient for them and safer for our clients, in the purview of being a good neighbor to Edison," said Visceglia.

The public safety center had been an idea discussed within the township for many years, over the course of multiple administrations, culminating with Choi, who made finishing the facility a high priority during his tenure. Peter Visceglia noted that he was extremely happy to finally see this project come to fruition.

"When I think of this project, how long it has been on the drawing board, I think of it as the Cal Ripken of public projects," joked Peter Visceglia, to the amusement of the audience.

Police and fire officials hailed the project as a positive direction for the township.

"We can all be proud of this grand alliance between government and private enterprise. Combining these two and combining the brick and mortar with the human elements of energy and enthusiasm will synergistically augment the public safety of Edison, its residents and everyone who comes here to do business and visit," said Police Director Brian Collier.

Fire Chief Norman Jensen, meanwhile, said he felt like a kid on Christmas morning when he thought about the public safety center.

"The only thing I can think about to express how I feel about this is waking up in the '50s on Christmas morning and seeing that red fire truck underneath the Christmas tree," said Jensen.

He also noted that the police can benefit from being so close to the fire department as well.

"They can't control their enthusiasm, these cops. They've never had the opportunity that they have today to move into a building with their heroes right next door. So, they've got a lot to look forward to," he joked, eliciting chuckles from the audience.

Councilwoman Antonia Ricigliano was pleased that the project was finally starting, noting that it has been a very long time coming.

"It's good for all of us … it's a win-win for Raritan Center and for Edison as well," said Ricigliano.

Councilwoman Melissa Perilstein had similar sentiments, praising the coordination between so many different elements to move the project forward.

"I think it's a great example of how business and government can come together and be innovative and creative and help the town get to a new level. It's just positive all around," said Perilstein.