SOUTH SALEM, N.Y. - “Build we must” may be a hackneyed phrase - but for the Lewisboro Police Department, it may actually be an understatement.
The town’s police force has operated out of a trailer at the former Lewisboro Elementary School for more than a decade. As a result, constructing a new police headquarters has become a top priority for both residents and elected officials.
In mid-2025, the Katonah-Lewisboro School District asked town departments housed at the shuttered school to find new quarters. That prompted the Town Board to approve the purchase and begin refurbishing an office building at 892 Route 35 in Cross River for municipal use. At the same time, the board initiated the study and planning process for a new police facility.
While nothing has been finalized, the likely location is a town-owned parcel at 81 Spring Street in South Salem, currently home to a small contingent of New York State Police.
KSCJ Consulting, the town’s engineering firm, submitted a proposed septic system design for the new building several weeks ago to the Westchester County Department of Health. “It then takes about 12 weeks to review,” said Lewisboro Town Supervisor Tony Gonçalves at the Town Board’s March 23 meeting. “There’s going to be some back and forth—it could take a total of four months to get the design approved. At that point, we can go out to bid on a septic system.”
Additional steps will include a site plan with wetlands delineations and a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP), a regulatory requirement outlining measures to control runoff-related pollution.
Police Chief David Alfano described the Spring Street site as ideal due to its central location in Lewisboro. It is also near Route 35, the town’s main artery, and is not adjacent to residential neighborhoods.
The property has historical significance for the department. Before housing state police, the Spring Street building was the Lewisboro Police Department’s original home. After outgrowing that facility, the department moved to the former elementary school site in 2014, where it now operates from a temporary structure resembling a large trailer. If the project moves forward, the existing Spring Street building would be demolished and replaced with a new facility.
At an earlier meeting, the Town Board reviewed preliminary concepts for the building. Eric Kaeyer, a principal at KG+D Architects of Mount Kisco, explained that several sites were considered, but Spring Street emerged as the preferred option—beginning with the fact that the town already owns the land.
“This is going to be a one-story facility with a walkout basement and a two-car-plus sallyport garage,” Kaeyer said. “That allows officers to drive in—if there’s a suspect—directly into a secure garage bay. There also needs to be a secured lot for both officers’ personal vehicles and town-owned vehicles.”
Some parking areas may be covered by a solar canopy. The Bedford Police Department, for example, has carports topped with solar panels. Plans also include public parking, while the adjacent commuter lot will remain in place.
Although final cost estimates are still pending, the project is expected to total around $5 million. Town officials, engineers, and architects are exploring ways to control costs.
“We have a lot of support in town for this project,” Alfano said. “We’re all trying to do this at as low a cost as possible.”
One potential cost-saving approach is modular construction. Plans call for modular components on the first floor and possibly precast concrete walls for the lower level. One possible supplier is Superior Walls of America, a Poughkeepsie-based company that manufactures precast concrete systems.
“You deliver them to the site, crane them in place, and boom, boom, boom—you’ve got your four walls,” Alfano said. “It’s almost like a Lego set.”
On top of that foundation, builders would assemble preconstructed rectangular modules. The facility is being designed for approximately 24 officers. While not all officers are on duty at once, the building would provide adequate space for each, including locker and changing areas.
“There would be an evidence room, an equipment room, general storage, and interview rooms,” Kaeyer said. “There would also be a juvenile room with its own access, as well as a suspect holding room. There are no plans for overnight detention.”
The main level would measure approximately 4,000 square feet, with portions of the lower level finished, bringing the total size to about 5,000 square feet.
The building would incorporate four distinct security zones to separate occupants as much as possible. Zone one would be the entry point, where visitors are buzzed in by an officer. Zone two would include an office of emergency management and a meeting room that could serve as a gathering space during emergencies.
Zone two would also feature areas for officers to meet with members of the public, along with interview and juvenile holding rooms. Zone three would be dedicated to officers’ workspaces, including offices, locker rooms, and equipment storage. Zone four would be used for arrest processing, with suspects brought from the sallyport to a secure processing area.
“Police facilities require different security zones so civilians aren’t exposed to individuals who may pose a risk,” Alfano said. “There would be no cells, since we’re not holding anyone overnight. At most, suspects would be temporarily restrained before being transferred to the county.”
The lower level would include the sallyport—a drive-in, secure entry area for police vehicles. The term dates back to 17th-century Britain, where it referred to a fortified entry point in castles and forts that allowed forces to exit and re-enter securely.
In addition to the sallyport, the lower level would house evidence processing and storage areas, a workout room, bunk space, and mechanical systems such as HVAC. Much of this level would initially remain unfinished, and all doors between security zones would be access-controlled.
The expanded facility could also allow the department to implement a long-desired midnight patrol.
“The lack of space at our current facility has, in part, prevented that,” Alfano said.
Kaeyer emphasized that the architectural renderings presented to the board are conceptual. “This is just to show the general direction of the design,” he said.
One unresolved issue is the future of the state police currently stationed at the site. The state leases space from the town, and while officials may offer accommodations in the new building, no agreement has been reached.
Another outstanding decision is whether the town will issue a single bid package with one general contractor or divide the project into multiple contracts.
“The building itself is one cost, but then there’s also the outfitting—HVAC, electrical, security systems,” Gonçalves said. “All of that needs to be factored in.”
One piece of good news came when the Katonah-Lewisboro School District extended the deadline for vacating the current police trailers.
“They’re giving us until the end of August next year, rather than this year,” Gonçalves said.
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