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City investigates possible new digs for police dept. |
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Monday, 19 May 2008 |
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By Ken Koerner
Register Staff 5-17-2008
A unanimous vote of approval this week has pulled the trigger on the next phase of evaluating the possible expansion of the Bishop Police Department’s facilities.
The Bishop City Council took a look into the future Monday night, with an eye toward learning more about the potential for a new home for the PD through the potential purchase of the old Verizon building at 350 Lagoon St.
It’s clear from prior council deliberations on this issue, however, that the City Council wants to take a cautious approach when it comes to committing municipal funds.
With its vote, the council authorized staff to negotiate with Verizon in order to obtain a selling price and proposed conditions of a sale; authorized the city attorney to meet with Verizon’s legal staff in order to draft a document with terms – a document that could be “brought to the council for action at some later time;” authorized the PD to seek outside funding sources that would offset costs to the city for any eventual department relocation to that building; and authorized staff to seek and bring back to council the costs for a preliminary site plan design, which would allow the city to better determine final costs and/or feasibility of the purchase.
Preliminary cost estimates for the purchase and renovation of the Lagoon Street facility are in the $4.1 million range.
City Administrator Rick Pucci has played a key role in recent months to advance the dialogue concerning the potential advantages that Verizon’s willingness to sell the facility could now provide.
“As a point of reference, it was several years ago that the City Council directed (municipal) staff to look into the potential of leasing or purchasing Verizon’s building,” Pucci told the council. “Since that time, I’d like to say, the (Police) Department has done a great job of coping with some rather severe space limitations. But I believe we may have an opportunity at this juncture that could not only provide more work space, but that could also attract outside funding sources that would dramatically limit the city’s financial exposure while doing so.”
The discussion to expand and/or improve police facilities “actually began in the mid-80s,” Pucci explained, noting that since that time “due to major infrastructure and building requirements, the existing facility is ‘built out’ and any retrofit of the existing building would trigger major capital expenditures.”
Bishop Police Chief Kathleen Sheehan shared with the council a departmental perspective on how acquisition of the Verizon building could enhance police operations.
“Among the most important advantages a new facility would provide is improved public service and access,” Sheehan said. “Currently, we have serious constraints facing officers in terms of providing privacy for witnesses and victims coming into the building. The proximity to suspects can, at times, present the potential for problems of confidentiality.”
Additional space could also provide improved linkage to the overall community, Sheehan explained, providing for any number of public gatherings to take place under the department’s roof, citing examples such as substance abuse groups and various workshops.
“I believe that opportunity alone could go a long way toward bolstering community connections with the department,” said Sheehan. “It could create an expanded sense of how the public and the police are partners in ensuring a safer and healthier community.”
Sheehan also addressed how the council’s approval for further investigation into a possible building purchase will open the door to substantive exploration of possible grant funds and attractive financing options for a “public safety building.”
The council’s action on Monday “does not commit the city to any certain expenditures,” Pucci and Sheehan explained. However, the council was advised that there would be some front-money involved if it subsequently approved an agreement to have a design firm prepare the drawings essential to knowing how space could be allocated – and what retrofitting the building would cost.
Sheehan also explained that she had an “informal contact” with the design firm that is overseeing a new building for the Mammoth Lakes Police Department and that the company indicated “they would be willing to charge only $8,000 to prepare preliminary floor-use drawings for the Verizon facility.”
That money, “if approved, “would need to be funded, in advance by the city, in order to make a judgment as to whether or not this purchase would be cost effective or even feasible,” Pucci said.
Prior to a vote of approval taking place, Mayor Martin Connolly asked Pucci to confirm the members were “only providing an approval to undertake negotiations at this point.” Pucci repeated his assurance this was the case.
Connolly then sought input from the other council members present.
“This opportunity with the Verizon building likely won’t last a long time,” Councilman Jeff Griffiths said, “and we should move to learn more about its potential.”
“I think this opportunity does sound very attractive, Councilwoman Susan Cullen said, “and I think we have to investigate it further.”
“I’m not opposed to spending $8,000 to learn what may be possible, to learn what funding monies may be out there,” Councilman Bruce Dishion said, “but if we don’t find the money at that point, let’s not keep batting this notion back and forth. There are a lot of worthwhile projects of interest to our constituents.”
Councilman Frank Crom simply said, “There’s a need and it’s not going away. I think we should look into it.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 25 June 2008 )
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