By Gail Wesson
The Riverside Press Enterprise
Work is nearly finished on an addition to the San Jacinto police station that should accommodate needs for the next 10-15 years.
“We’ll start moving in over the next couple weeks,” said Lt. Bill Tyler, who gave a brief tour last week before his departure for a new assignment in Moreno Valley. The projected completion date is June 15.
Both Moreno Valley and San Jacinto contract with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement services. Lt. Sue Trevino took over as San Jacinto’s police chief this week.
Some 48 sworn and non-sworn personnel work out of the Sixth Street station, according to Interim City Manager Tim Hults.
Hamel Contracting of Murrieta is overseeing the work. The expansion of the u-shaped building began in July 2009 and adds 2,673 square feet of space by filling in the open area of the u-shape.
The more than $1 million expansion means some personnel will not have to share desks in a new patrol/traffic office, creates a briefing room that doubles as an emergency operations center, adds restrooms and a lunch room for employees.
“Currently, employees don’t have a place to eat,” Tyler said, so they use the old briefing room.
“There will be five different monitors in the emergency operations center,” Tyler said. “We can also use that for training our deputies.”
The emergency center “will serve the entire community during an event such as an earthquake,” Hults wrote in an e-mail.
The four members of the problem-oriented policing team, one regional gang task force and one Allied Riverside Cities Narcotic Enforcement Team member will each get desks instead of sharing two desks.
Outside upgrades include a metal canopy awning wide enough to park five patrol cars under and motorcycles. The shade will allow officers to turn off the cars without concern that the electronic equipment might overheat, according to a staff report Tyler wrote earlier this year. Other work includes fire sprinklers, telecommunications lines and new carpet and tile.
The city is using development fees, gaming impact and redevelopment funds to pay for the project.
Copyright 2010 The Press Enterprise, Inc.