New Police Station Project - Proposal

Building Safety and Stewardship in Concord: A Community Statement

By: Fisto NdayishimiyeDate: November 21, 2025

Dear Neighbors, City Leaders, and Friends of Concord,

I write today not simply as a resident of Concord, but as someone who has made this city home after a journey marked by displacement, hope, and the conviction that community matters. My name is Fisto Ndayishimiye, a young Black leader and refugee, and I bring to you a perspective shaped both by lived experience and by the responsibility we have to one another. I write in support of the proposed new police headquarters in our city, and I write with clarity, humility, and the conviction that moving forward with this project is both a practical and moral imperative.

For many here, the cost of a new headquarters raises worry, especially when other major projects compete for attention and taxpayer dollars. I heard those voices. I have felt that same hesitation.

Yet I also walked through our current facility at 35 Green Street, observed its limitations, and listened to the community voices, especially those who feel vulnerable, unheard, and unsafe. It became clear: doing nothing is not responsible, and postponing this decision is not a saving measure; it is, in fact, a risk that compounds over time.

The 35 Green Street building has served us for nearly fifty years. It was built in an era when our city was smaller, the police department was different, and public-safety demands were far less complex. Today, officers and staff navigate cramped corridors, improvised storage spaces, outdated booking routes, and inadequate facilities for women and survivors of violence. Victims arriving for help do so in a lobby that falls short of the dignity our shared humanity demands. This is not about mere comfort; it's about evidence integrity, public and officer safety, and long-term stewardship of the public good.

Studies of law-enforcement facilities suggest that the useful life of such buildings ranges from 20 to over 50 years. (Rack CDN) Meanwhile, facility-management research shows operating older buildings grows costlier over time. (Maintenance World) Further, national construction-cost data show public-construction spending in the United States reached an annual rate of approximately $515.8 billion in July 2025, up slightly from June. (Census.gov) The message is clear: public building construction and maintenance are expensive and rising in cost. The reality is that delaying this project will not preserve funds; it will increase the burden on future budgets and future taxpayers.

From where I stand, supporting this headquarters does not mean ignoring our other critical priorities, our children’s education, our parks, our small businesses, our seniors, our housing stability; none of these fade away when we address public-safety infrastructure. Rather, it means weaving together a comprehensive vision of community well-being. That vision holds that a modern facility is not a reward to the institution of policing. It is an investment in our shared safety, our dignity, our future.

Accordingly, the case I make is this: we must proceed with the new headquarters, now, with clarity, cost discipline, and a broader plan of investment in public safety and community empowerment. Specifically, I call for a facility that allows for community-oriented policing: a space where residents, youth, service providers, and law-enforcement officers meet, listen, partner, and build trust. I call for a city leadership commitment to rigorous cost-control and value engineering, cutting what is non-essential while protecting core mission requirements: officer safety, victim services, and evidence integrity. I call for transparent, plain-language communication about what the tax impact will mean for a typical household, and what the protections will be for the most vulnerable among us. I call for monthly or quarterly reporting not only of patrols and calls answered, but also of community uses of the facility: youth leadership programs, victim-support forums, meetings with nonprofits, service-provider collaborations.

Let us be honest about the trade-offs while refusing to be paralyzed by them. The alternative to moving forward is not simply “more time.” It is degraded safety conditions, spiraling costs, deferred justice, and a building past its useful life. A facility built decades ago for a smaller city cannot serve the Concord of tomorrow. By acting now, with prudence and purpose, we affirm a city that refuses to choose between safety and justice, between fiscal discipline and moral courage, between bricks and people.

I support this headquarters because I believe our officers deserve a facility that holds them to the highest standards. I support it because victims deserve a space that reflects the dignity of their experience.

I support it because young people, especially those of color, immigrants, and those with reason to mistrust the system, must see a building that feels open, accountable, connected to opportunity, and supportive. And I support it because I know what it means to build a home and a voice in this country. I came as a refugee with no guarantee of safety or recognition. Now I have one voice, and I intend to use it on behalf of our shared future.

To the Mayor and City Councilors, to the City Manager, to the Chief of Police, to Officer Dana Dexter, to our incoming councilors and city staff: I urge you to move this project forward with urgency, transparency, and integrity. Let us ensure that the proposal is made public, that residents have access, that community feedback is genuine, and that cost-monitoring and accountability are built in. To Concord’s residents who fear taxes, I ask you to look beyond a single price tag and see what postponement really costs. To those who have known trauma or injustice at the hands of law ­enforcement: I stand with you. I carry that pain, and I believe that, paired with the right facility, the right leadership, the right vision, we can build something worthy of our shared humanity.

We cannot erase the mistakes of the past. But we can choose the city we will be in for the next generation. I believe that saying yes to this project, wisely, critically, and strongly, is part of that choice.

Thank you for your time, your service, and your willingness to listen. I respectfully ask that this letter and the attached proposal be circulated to the Mayor, City Council, City Manager, Chief of Police, Officer Dana Dexter, incoming councilors, and relevant city staff, and that it be made publicly available so every resident can engage. Our city is stronger, together, when we build with intention.

Best regards,

Fisto Ndayishimiye

Concord Resident

https://www.fisto4oneconcord.com  | ydnofficial.org

fisto4oneconcord@gmail.com | 603-931-0527