Western Connecticut Training Facility
Police departments in Connecticut are approaching a critical point for firearms training, WestCOG in partnership with local communities and the Fairfield Police Officer Training Association (FCPOTA) have developed a concept for a shared facility, the Western Connecticut Training Facility. The details of this project are provided in the Implementation Plan, Executive Summary, and Video Narrative for consideration in Municipal Budgets.
Contact Mike Towle at with any questions regarding this project and its previous public safety reports.
mtowle@westcog.org | 475-323-2064
Project Objectives
The implementation of the WCTF is intended to meet the following objectives as a guide to determine success of the project.
Regional Public Safety Training Facility. A fully functional training facility that provides an efficient and effective solution for Western Connecticut law enforcement institutions to effectively meet State of CT mandated qualifications for de-escalation, less lethal force, defensive tactics, and firearms.
Cost Effective. Leverage regional savings and/or economies of scale to provide the facility objectives identified at competitive pricing. Training Facilities lend themselves to be cost effective in a regional approach as training as a given department only requires a limited number of days of training to meet targets.
Minimize Public Impact. A firing range solution that minimizes negative public impacts for noise, environmental effects, and safety.
Maximize Access. Developing an indoor range dramatically increases the amount of available training opportunities as it is not limited by lighting, weather, environmental impacts, or public concern for safety, sound.
Sustainable Membership. To construct a facility with high demand training features sought after by a wide range of departments (such as tactical training, de-escalation VR Training, and 50yard rifle range) and located to serve a large market of public safety officers. A steady membership will provide the membership fees needed for ongoing operation of the facility.
Tactical Training. The training facility should utilize its space such that it can serve multiple functions. Examples include being able to drive in vehicles, standup walls, control lighting, and additional props as needed. Currently many departments only have access to limited opportunities for scenario training.
Rifle Capable. A firing range solution that provides the ability to qualify and train personnel for multiple types of weapons including department issued firearms – handgun and patrol rifle up to 5.56-millimeter ammunition capability. Rifle training is mandated to reflect scenarios where targets are 50 yards away. Departments work around this using smaller targets but have noted this is a limited form of training and that a 50-yard range would be a large draw.
Functional Governance. Implementation of an effective, integrated, Memorandum of Agreement that clearly outlines authority for continued management of the facility and is tied effectively to provide collaboration, cooperation, and communication among stakeholders.
Functional Standard Operations Procedures. To define the responsibilities of those utilizing the WCTF. And such that, it can be readily modified as needed to meet the Facility’s needs.
FAQ
Why build a firearm training facility?
There is a shortage of firearm training sites (especially for rifle training) and building individual ranges is costly. Departments across CT have expressed a strong demand for a robust training facility for firearm training facility.
What design specifications do we need?
Surveys and discussions with Training Officers in Western CT have identified that an Indoor, Rifle Ready, 10 lane, 50 Yard Firearm Training Facility would meet existing and future training requirements while addressing public and environmental concerns.
Where will it be located?
The training facility is planned for construction on the Newtown Police Department property.
191 South Main Street, Newtown, CT.
This site was identified as an ideal location following a survey with Western CT departments, a location analysis, and discussions with elected officials with proposed locations. The current location provides quick access to I-84, is in an industrial area, and has strong political support.
How will it be managed?
Management will be handled through an Executive Council, Facility Oversight Committee, and Support Staff.
Executive Council will make executive decisions for the Training Facility (such as approval and updates to the MOA) and will be made up of the WestCOG Council.
Facility Oversight Committee will handle day to day matters and develop the Standard Operating Procedures and will be made up of the Fairfield County Police Officer Training Association.
Support Staff. WestCOG Staff are prepared to handle contractual, financial, and scheduling for the facility. Training Officers from participating communities will handle opening, closing, and operation of the facility. Training officers will be trained in the SOP to perform these tasks. The Newtown Police Department is prepared to provide security for the facility and address on site issues.
How much will it cost?
Costs are calculated per officer and based on an estimated initial membership of 800 officers. There is an initial membership fee and an annual membership fee. There is a 10% vesting fee applied over 10 years for non-founding members and partial members. For reference purposes the total costs (which will be spread out over 800+ officers) are for facility construction is estimated at $14,796,410. Annual Costs afterwards are estimated at $258,505.
Initial Fees. Covers the costs of construction and the first year of operations. $16,859 per officer.
Annual Membership Fee. Estimated at $323 per officer moving forward.
Who is supporting this project?
WestCOG invested in X. Towns with letters. Funding commitments are currently in process. What would their investments be?
How are the amounts derived?
Costs for a department are based on the number of officers using the facility. There is also a 10% vesting fee for Non-Founding Members.
What is the timeline for the project?
Currently we are securing funding to cover construction, we will be working with communities through their budget process into 2025. With funding secured, WestCOG would secure contracts to initiate construction by October of 2025. We intend to have construction completed by October 2026 (however this will be dependent on the schedules proposed by the contractor).
What are the terms of the contract?
WestCOG will provide a draft MOA for municipalities to review in November (shortly) and should finalize the MOA in January. Tho MOA outlines the obligations and expectations of municipalities that participate in the regional service. This will be provided before your budget cycles finish.
Who owns the land and the building?
The Town of Newtown owns the land and prepared to lease the property (1$ per year). WestCOG would be the owner of the building.
Who will operate the building?
Operation of the Facility will be a shared venture. WestCOG staff will handle contractual, financial, and scheduling matters. Newtown Police Department will handle security and immediate onsite issues that arise, and the training officers of Member Departments will be trained in the Standard Operating Procedures so they can utilize, open, and close the facility effectively.
What is the estimated life of the facility?
The facility has materials and design to last at least 50 Years. The life of the building can easily exceed this timeline with proper maintenance. Maintenance of the facility is built into the annual costs of the facility.
Do annual costs cover full maintenance of the facility?
Yes, annual fees are intended to cover the full cost for operations and maintenance of the facility. These annual costs can be modified to better reflect actual costs once the facility starts operation.
Are the annual and initial fees fixed?
Annual and Initial fees are intended to be fixed. However, the MOA can be updated and modified by the Executive Committee (WestCOG) when needed to better reflect actual cost impacts.
There are also Annual Membership Vouchers which that will reduce annual membership fees for Founding Members. These discounts are drawn from the 10% vesting fees for late arriving members and partial members.
How closely is WestCOG working with the Police Departments to ensure their feedback is being considered and included in the design and operation of the facility?
The entire planning process has been heavily involved with both Department Leadership and training officers. The Fairfield County Police Officer Training Association and Fairfield County Chiefs Association has provided insight through, surveys, discussions, and direct input into the specifications, governance, operations, financials, and location of the facility. Future operation matters for the facility will be directly handled by the FCPOTA, ensuring additional participation from departments regarding this regional service.
Will a proforma annual operating budget be provided to each town in the next two months to be given to each town?
Yes, WestCOG can develop a Proforma Annual Operating Budget for the facility before this budget cycle. WestCOG will alert communities in Western Connecticut when this content becomes available.
How confident are we that the current estimates are correct on construction costs and operating expenses?
A detailed listing of cost assumptions for construction and annual costs is provided in appendix section 16.
Cost Estimates for construction appear consistent with previous quotes from other facilities, that are scaled to the size of the WCTF proposal. The estimate was developed by Downs Construction Company and reflects the total cost required to have an operating training facility (this includes site prep, building materials, utilities, and equipment). Costs also include substantial contingency costs.
Cost Estimates for Operations appear accurate and are based on actual quotes for operation services for the facility and includes a 1% building maintenance fee.
Is there a policy on refunds?
We currently do not have a refund policy currently; we are under the assumption there is a high demand for training spaces, payment provides x4 training sessions per officer. We do have language for a partial membership, such as a x1 or x2 training session model. However. those using the facility as partial members would incur vesting fees. However if funds are set aside by communities, and the project does not go through, these funds would be returned.
Is there a dedicated account and Books for this Regional Service?
WestCOG would set up a dedicated account and books for the Training Facility and handle the contracts and finances for the facility in coordination with the FCPOTA. WestCOG would be the agency collecting and administering the funds for Construction and Operations.
Who is overseeing the contracting agency for Construction?
WestCOG would establish the necessary contracts for construction with an appropriate contractor to oversee construction. The contractor would be selected through a competitive RFQ process.
What if interest goes beyond 1500 officers (the maximum the facility can support under Standard Operating Hours)?
The facility cost estimates are designed on serving initially 800 officers (based on letters of commitment from previous grant applications) and the facility was designed to serve nearly twice this amount (to account for late arrivals and expanded use for training). If initial membership interest went beyond 1,500 members (not anticipated), WestCOG and FCPOTA would have to work out a solution.
There is an initial priority that the range is offered to WestCOG communities, then Fairfield County Police Officer Training Association (FCPOTA) members and then all other interested members on a first come first serve basis until the maximum 1,500 members total has been reached. Once established as a member in good standing, membership cannot be revoked unless the department is no longer in good standing as detailed by the terms in the MOA.
There is flexibility to handle numbers larger than 1500 by utilizing the range during non-standard operating hours (8:00PM – 8:00AM, this would enable the range to provide for up to 3,000 officers). The current number of officers in the FCPOTA is roughly 2,414 officers.
Going beyond capacity would increase logistical demands but it would offer substantial discounts on the Initial Membership and Annual Fees.
Are there limitations tied to political boundaries?
Ultimately this training facility is not restricted to political boundaries and has the goal of reaching its minimum operational target of training 800 officers per year. That said there is some prioritization factors in a scenario where initial membership exceeds 1,500 members. WestCOG’s Planning Area is 18 communities in SW CT and have a priority for initial membership. Fairfield County Police Officer Training Association initially target communities without the County political boundary but now includes communities outside that boundary. FCPOTA members have priority for initial membership over remaining interested communities. CT based communities have a priority over agencies outside the state, (Currently there have been no requests from departments outside of CT).