The City of Buffalo plans to build a $5 million police training facility at 379 Paderewski Dr.

The City of Buffalo plans to build a $5 million police training facility at 379 Paderewski Dr, located in the Broadway Fillmore neighborhood and directly across from the Central Terminal. This new training facility will include a shooting range and involve renovations to the former American Legion Adam Plewacki Post No. 799 building, which the City owns.

Initially, the facility was intended to be situated on Seneca Street; however, it was determined that locating it on Paderewski Drive is in the city’s best interests. To finance the project, the City plans to issue bonds totaling $3.9 million. The three-story building, constructed in 1948, has a total area of 26,396 square feet.

From Facebook: The Central Terminal Neighborhood Association met with Police Commissioner Wright, Deputy Commissioner Overdorf, and Fillmore District Council Member Mitch Nowakowski on April 2 at Eugene V. Debs Hall regarding the proposed Police Training Facility at 379 Paderewski Drive, and submitted the below conditions and community benefits for consideration by the Police Department:

• An opportunity for residents to review and provide comment on the design and site plan for the Police Training Facility prior to their submission to the City Planning Board.
• A written verification by a design professional that noise from the indoor firing range will be wholly undetectable off site.
• Protection of street trees, many of which were planted by neighborhood residents, along Paderewski Drive and Memorial Drive.
• An assurance that the Police Department will provide regular litter cleanup, grass maintenance, and sidewalk snow removal along its Paderewski Drive and Memorial Drive frontages.
• Removal of the chain link fence along Memorial Drive and its replacement with a fence of a higher quality material, set back along the Memorial Drive property line. The current fence is located five or six feet within the Memorial Drive public right of way, and residents would like to see this strip returned to public use and the landscape restored.
• Preservation of signage honoring Adam Plewacki, the first Buffalonian killed in World War I, and the American Legion Post built in 1949. A historic marker, with which the CTNA offers assistance, on Adam Plewacki and the American Legion Post would be most welcome.
• Consideration of use of the gymnasium and other on-site facilities, as appropriate, for youth programming; for example, by the Buffalo Police Athletic League.
• We hope to hear back from the Police Department soon, and look forward to helping make this investment a win for Broadway Fillmore.

It’s great to see the community provide input on the project as it will impact Broadway-Fillmore residents. If done correctly, this project could be a win for the community, the Buffalo Police Department, and the City.