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New Police Station Project

Why does the Hatfield Police Department need a new station? The one on School Road looks nice. 

  • The current Police station on School Road, adjacent to the Township Building, was built in the 1970s to accommodate 11 police officers. The population of Hatfield Township at the time was 8,000.
  • There are currently over 30 police officers, and the population of Hatfield Township along with Hatfield Borough is over 21,000.
  • It’s currently located in a residential area
  • There is no formal area for holding or interviewing juveniles
  • The evidence room is not climate-controlled and lacks needed ventilation
  • The current location does not provide adequate safety for the police officers or visitors
  • It lacks accessibility with its two-floor layout for visitors and staff 
  • The current building does not provide modern safety features
  • Allows the department to reunite the detective division back with the patrol division, creating a more efficient collaboration
  • Allows for the security of police and personal vehicles
  • Provides a centralized location for access to two main roads that serve both the township and the borough
  • Provides facilities for our ever-growing training needs
  • Provides for future growth

Why couldn’t this remain open space and be combined with the Nature Area?

This property was never open space. For decades it was a commercial center with a bike shop, dentist and dry cleaner. For the past 20 years, it was a dilapidated remnant of a shopping center with no tenants and buildings that were falling apart (see image below). This was a major eyesore along one of Hatfield’s busiest corridors. 

The former property owner was in the process of redeveloping the site with an additional strip mall. When COVID happened, the Township approached the private developer and was able to purchase the property at a very good price. 

How will this affect the Hatfield Nature Area?

Hatfield acquired the land for the Nature Area in the 1960s and that land will be permanently preserved. This project will not infringe on the Nature Area. In fact, the project gives the Township an opportunity to provide more visibility and access to the park.  

Will the Police Station create more traffic on Cowpath Road?

The project will include an updated traffic signal and better access to the Snyder Square Shopping Center. It will also include a “police-only” private driveway directly to Orvilla Road to allow police officers to avoid a major intersection and get to Route 309 faster.  

How will the Township pay for the new station?

The Township staff and Commissioners have been financially preparing for this project for a number of years. There have been several initiatives to reduce the cost and to seek funding for the project, including:

  • Township was able to repackage a design from a station in Bucks County, saving over $150,000 in architectural and engineering fees.
  • Township was awarded a grant for $200,000 from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development to additionally offset the remaining costs for the design of the station.
  • Also received a grant from the state for $393,000 to help offset the cost of constructing the private driveway to Orvilla. 
  • Currently waiting on the announcements of two additional grants totaling just under $6 million.
  • Even without the grants, the Township is in a position to absorb the cost of the station for the foreseeable future.

Why doesn’t the Township spend money on infrastructure instead of a new police station?

In the past 10 years, the Township, without raising taxes, has:

  • Paved over 85% of township owned roads.
  •  Realigned the dangerous Cowpath Road and Orvilla Road intersection
  •  Fixed or replaced all 4 of the township owned bridges
  •  Upgraded 95% of the traffic signals to video detection
  •  Fully engineered plans for a safer Welsh Road and Orvilla Road intersection
  •  Upgraded the playground equipment in School Road Park
  •  In the process of renovating and expanding Clemens Park
  •  Constructed the entirety of Frick’s Trail
  •  Secured funding to extend the Liberty Bell Trail by over 1,500 feet
  •  Upgraded street lights and township buildings to LED lighting to save energy costs
  •  Redeveloped and upgraded stormwater basins
  •  Purchased four flood prone homes to convert to open space
  •  Purchased two properties to expand and preserve the Community Park and Schweiker Park
  • Replaced and upgraded stormwater facilities on Line Street

What will happen to the existing site?

That has not been determined. The Commissioners will have public brainstorming sessions this fall. The cost to repurpose the building into any type of public use will be extraordinary high. Other options that will be considered would be to demo the building and keep the space green and add some type of a park feature.

Watch Hatfield’s President of the Board of Commissioners, Tom Zipfel, discuss these items at a public meeting in December 2023.