Message from Mayor Josh Losardo – November 6, 2026
Public safety is at the heart of our responsibility to the residents of Scotch Plains. We have tremendous respect for the men and women who serve our community as first responders, and we recognize the important work they do every day to protect our residents. They deserve the support, resources and facilities necessary to carry out that responsibility safely and effectively.
That is why after years of careful deliberation, public input and conservative financial planning, the Township is ready to move forward with plans for a new Emergency Services Building on Township owned property on Plainfield Avenue.
The proposed building will bring together our police, fire and EMS operations, Office of Emergency Management, Volunteer Rescue Squad, and municipal court under one roof. This will create a more centralized, efficient, coordinated environment for the people who serve and protect our community, while providing facilities designed to meet Scotch Plains’ needs for generations to come.
This has been a deliberate process, not a decision made overnight. The Township has been discussing plans for a new Emergency Services Building on Plainfield Avenue since 2018. Throughout the process, we have listened, evaluated alternatives and continually challenged assumptions about the project’s size, design and cost.
Our approach has produced meaningful savings. The original 2023 concept plan called for approximately 69,900 square feet of space and carried an estimated cost of $67 million. Our current plan is approximately 49,760 square feet, nearly 20,000 square feet smaller, with a projected cost of up to $49.5 million.
Working collaboratively with administration, emergency services leadership and design professionals, we identified opportunities to make better use of shared offices, conference rooms and support areas. This has resulted in a better design that accommodates essential operations and future needs without paying for unnecessary space.
We have also taken public feedback into consideration as the plans evolved. In 2025, the Township purchased 2450 Plainfield Avenue, adjacent to the original project site, and amended the redevelopment plan to move the building farther away from the residential area and provide additional landscaped buffers to help mitigate potential visual, light and noise impacts for nearby residents.
There is also an important public safety reason to move forward. Our existing emergency services facilities are outdated and located in a flood hazard area. Relocating these operations to higher, drier ground on Plainfield Avenue will help protect our emergency response capabilities during severe weather and provide our first responders with a modern, coordinated home for decades to come.
It will also reduce our reliance on costly repairs and ongoing maintenance of aging and inefficient buildings. For example, the existing Fire House on Senger Place was originally designed to be a DPW building and lacks the space and logistical design required for the current needs of the department.
Just as important, this move will help unlock the enormous potential of downtown Scotch Plains. Relocating the emergency services will allow the Township to redevelop the current municipal properties and create new economic activity and revenue where those tax-exempt sites generate none today. The Township intends to apply proceeds from the sale and redevelopment of those properties, together with revenue from other redevelopment initiatives, available grants and remaining bond funds, toward financing the new Emergency Services Building.
The Township will be introducing a bond ordinance for the new building on November 10 and holding a public hearing and considering final adoption on December 15. The Township will be hosting a public information session on December 3 at 7:00 p.m. at Town Hall to further detail the Emergency Services Building plans, financing strategy, and answer questions. More information will be shared in the coming weeks.
The bond ordinance would authorize financing; it would not, by itself, mean the entire amount has to be spent. Any contract to construct the new Emergency Services Building will only be awarded after a competitive bid process that determines the final cost of the project.
I encourage residents to participate, ask questions and review the project details as they become available. A project of this importance deserves a transparent public discussion.
We have a responsibility to provide reliable public safety services, protect taxpayers and plan thoughtfully for the future of our downtown. By scaling back the original proposal and making every square foot work harder, we are taking those responsibilities seriously.
This scaled-back proposal reflects a thoughtful, practical approach that puts our community’s needs first—not just today, but for generations to come.
