PARSIPPANY-TROY HILLS, N.J. (Morris County) — Morris County officials dedicated a new 65,540-square-foot expansion of the county’s Public Safety Complex on Wednesday, a project designed to enhance public health and emergency response operations.
The Morris County Board of County Commissioners joined county Department of Law & Public Safety staff, trades workers and union leaders for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the facility on West Hanover Avenue in Parsippany-Troy Hills.
The ceremony also recognized Labor Day and the trades workers who constructed the expansion, which got underway last year.
“More than a century later, Labor Day still reminds us that the strength of our communities rests on the skill, sacrifice and craftsmanship of American workers. And that message is especially relevant today, when so much attention is focused on technology — especially artificial intelligence — and how it is reshaping industries across the country,” Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw said.
“But let me be absolutely clear: AI cannot replace the skilled trades. It cannot replace the men and women who pour the concrete, set the steel, run the electrical, install the HVAC, and make a building stand straight, safe, and strong. It cannot replicate the craftsmanship, judgment or pride required to turn drawings into the facility behind us,” he continued.
Shaw presented a framed Resolution of Honor to David Critchley, president of the Morris, Sussex and Vicinity Building and Construction Trades Council and secretary-treasurer of the New Jersey State Building and Construction Trades Council.
The resolution commemorated Labor Day and recognized trades workers who built the Public Safety Complex expansion and worked on other county projects, including facilities at County College of Morris and the ongoing county criminal court expansion.
“I truly want to thank you for taking the time to shine a light on the trades and for giving us the opportunity to visit some of these trades and see the training and the work being done for younger people,” Critchley said. “For every five of us retiring, only two are coming into the trades to replace us. These are good jobs.”
“Our trades are open to everyone. I encourage young people to visit the trades and see what our work is about,” he continued, noting the well-paying professions and skills obtained through apprenticeship programs.
The expansion provides the Morris County Division of Public Health with a new location directly adjacent to the county’s emergency operations functions. It includes dedicated storage for personal protective equipment and garage space for emergency response vehicles and other equipment.
The project grew out of lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the county commissioners convened a Strategic Planning Advisory Committee to evaluate the county’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities. The committee met 64 times and determined, among other things, that the Division of Public Health needed to be located closer to the emergency operations team.
Moving Public Health into the new facility also frees its former space on West Hanover Avenue for the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division.
“This project also delivers a second benefit. By moving Public Health into this new space, we have freed up their former space for the Sheriff’s Patrol Division — space that is far better suited to their law enforcement needs,” Shaw said. “One project, two problems solved.”
The project was designed by The Musial Group Architects, with Dobco Group serving as general contractor and Legacy Construction Management Inc. as construction manager.
The Public Safety Complex expansion is among several major county projects planned or underway, including a new Criminal Courthouse and replacement K-9 Facility. The three projects are supported by $99.7 million in total funding approved by the county commissioners, with 82.2% coming from the county and 17.8% from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Following the ribbon cutting, guests toured the new facility and viewed renderings of upcoming county projects.
