Public Safety

The Edward F. Havens South Windsor Annex

South Windsor, CT

This adaptive re-use of a former post office required a significant amount of planning to create an efficient environment for several town offices including health department, information technology, and an emergency operations center. The 8,800 SF building had been previously gutted and our initial work involved the structural assessment of the building and improvements to the structure to withstand a Category III hurricane.

A priority of the project was the inclusion of upgraded technology for police dispatchers and public works crews. In the event of a major incident, like significant snowfall, a hurricane or other
weather-related event that causes prolonged power outages and downed trees, town officials can meet here and plan how to serve the needs of the community.

The building houses a kitchen and a multi-purpose room that can be used for training — for either the town’s police department, volunteer fire department or town staff — or can be converted
to sleeping quarters for responding staff in the event of a major incident. It also serves as a place for neighborhood residents to meet with staff and organize how they can best be prepared for
prolonged time without electricity, officials said.

The focus of the EOC is a conference type space with 28 monitors and a mounted, interactive screen that connects real-time updates from first responder agencies. Each monitor is marked for specific town officials, like the superintendent of schools, town manager and public works staff, to communicate if and when a plan of action needs to be made. Completed in 2016.

In December of 2017, the newly renovated building was renamed to The Edward F. Havens South Windsor Annex  in honor of the man who was mayor and deputy mayor for more than 40 years.