As he stood on the site of his department’s future home, Hatfield police Chief Bill Tierney thought back to a phone call that started the ball rolling.
"He said, ‘What would you think of building a new police station? And building it on Cowpath Road?’ I said, ‘You’re out of your mind!’ I distinctly remember those words, ‘You’re out of your mind.’ And here we are,” Tierney said.
That phone call, with township Manager Aaron Bibro several years ago, started the ball rolling toward the station’s groundbreaking ceremony — yes, on Cowpath Road — on Wednesday night.
Informal discussions had been held for years, and public talks began in summer 2020, when the township acquired several parcels totaling roughly two acres on Cowpath just west of Orvilla Road, where several long-vacant retail buildings stood until they were demolished in early 2021 by members of a local union apprentice program.
"Not many years ago, this did not seem like it was going to happen,” said board President Tom Zipfel.
As he spoke, the board chairman recalled several failed redevelopment plans for the Cowpath Road site, then talks between the board and staff about whether the township could acquire the properties, and permanently preserve the roughly 34 acres of woodlands behind.
"We realized we have a responsibility to not just revitalize this area, because that’s what this is going to do for sure, but also create a state-of-the-art police station, that is right here on the edge of the township, and on the edge of he borough,” he said. "It’s wonderfully located, perfectly located, we’re very excited about the opportunity.”
Cramped Quarters
The department currently serves both Hatfield Township and Borough, out of a 1960s-era station on School Road, which had needed numerous repairs and upgrades in recent years, including a new vehicle entry for prisoner transfers, a storage garage, a new generator, façade upgrades, and reconstruction of the entrance ramp to increase access.
Due to space limitations, the department’s detectives currently work offsite, in a refurbished space in the township’s public works building on Unionville Pike. In late 2022 the township hired a firm to design a new station, unveiling the first renderings last summer.
As they spoke on Wednesday night, the elected officials stood in front of a backhoe and two Hatfield police SUVs, stationed just behind easels showing those renderings of the new facility. To one side, officers stopped traffic on Cowpath to help pedestrians cross the street, and on the other side, officers handed out cookies and swag bags decorated with the department’s badge, slogan, and accreditation logo.
In 2020, Zipfel recalled, staff and the board formalized the acquisition of the property using a low-interest loan, then former commissioner Larry Hughes helped arrange for the local Operating Engineers 542 union training program to demolish the vacant shopping center at minimal cost to the township, then "used as a guidepost” a design used by a similar new station in Bucks County.
Team Effort
As he spoke, Zipfel thanked the construction project team, architects, engineers, the township’s traffic engineer, and the neighbors who have helped shape the plan. Former commissioner Scott Brown recalled shopping for bicycles in one of the stores on the site decades ago, and former commissioners Deb Zimmerman, Greg Lees, Laura Thomas, and Ray Masser also earned thanks from Zipfel for backing the project.
Hatfield Borough Council President Jason Ferguson said he thought the new station was a clear sign of township and borough, and their respective boards and staffs working together.
"These kind of groundbreakings don’t happen very often. I’ve been on the council for almost seven years now, and this is the second significant one we’ve had,” he said, referring to the borough’s new administration building that opened down the street in 2019.
"These kind of infrastructure projects don’t happen every day. So the fact that this is happening now, the fact that your leaders in the township and borough had a vision for this — this took many many years, this doesn’t happen overnight. They’ve really been working very hard on this for a long, long time,” he said.
Ceremonial Step
As drones buzzed and hawks circled above the speakers, their podium stood next to a wooden bed of soil, in front of the now-cleared lot where the strip center once stood and the station will be built. A short walk behind the podium, a red plank with a white poster board reading "Our new front door” stood in the woods, giving passersby some perspective on the scale of the future station.
State Sen. Maria Collett, D-12th, said she was "thrilled” to support the "top-notch law enforcement, first responders, who work around the clock to keep our families and our neighbors safe.”
"Hatfield’s current police station has served our area well for over 50 years, and officials have been constantly adopting to fit the shifting needs of the area. But we’ve reached a point where the old station is no longer sufficient to sustain the size and scope of the station’s work. This new, more centrally located facility will ensure our law enforcement officials have the tools they need to do their jobs,” Collett said, by providing extra work and training space, a central location, and more accessibility and visibility for the community.
"I can’t wait ’til we all return for the ribbon cutting for this state-of-the-art police station,” Collett said, vowing to support the project "every step of the way, and I will do anything I can to champion the smooth transition, so that we can come here, cut the ribbon, and get this place open for business.”
State Rep. Steve Malagari, D-53rd, said he saw the station as "laying a foundation for a safer, more resilient future. This building is the physical embodiment of the dedication of our township commissions, and our borough officials, and our community members, and our police as well. It’s their tireless efforts that bring this vision to life.”
Modernized Security
The new station will include fully modernized security features to keep officers and residents safe, enough space to move the department’s detectives back under one roof from their offsite location on Unionville Pike, while green building features like solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, and preservation of the land behind the station will help the township stay eco-friendly.
"The new police station represents more than just a building. It really symbolizes the dedication to supporting community safety, and providing our law enforcement officers with the resources they absolutely need, and the facilities they need, to serve and protect,” he said.
Brendan McCusker, constituent advocate for U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1st), added thanks from the congressman: "as a former FBI agent, he couldn’t be a bigger supporter of local law enforcement,” and presented Tierney with an American flag previously flown over the U.S. Capitol.
The chief then took the podium to briefly thank all involved, before Zipfel asked for a last round of applause for the roughly two dozen police officers on hand for the groundbreaking.
"A big part of this is for these folks, right here. Because they’re the ones who, when the bell rings, they’re the ones who come and help and save us,” Zipfel said.
After the Speeches
After the speeches came the groundbreaking, as the commissioners and councilmembers, then the consultants, and finally the officers took turns lifting and tossing shovels of soil to mark the ceremonial start of construction. New commissioner Jen LoStracco said she was "nervous and excited” for the ceremony and to see the station take shape, and new commissioner Shahidul Partha said he’s proud the new station is in his ward and hopes to be among the first visitors once it opens.
Depending on final permit approvals, construction on the site could start as soon as April, according to Tierney and Bibro, the work is expected to take 12 to 15 months and could be done by fall 2025, and no decision has been made by the commissioners about what would then happen to the current station building. For more on the Hatfield Police Department follow "Hatfield Police Department” on Facebook or @Hatfieldpolice on Twitter.
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.
See also:
Upper Gwynedd Recap: Change Orders Coming for Township Building Upgrades
Upper Gwynedd Hints at Possible New North Penn Bus Site on Church Road
Towamencin Developer says Progress in the Works on ‘Main Street’ Project
