Manteca — for the third time since 2002 — has rolled out a plan to replace the city’s aging police headquarters that outgrew its space needs in the 1990s.
But this time around, council members are doing more than going through the motions.
They are presenting voters in the Nov. 5 election with a way to make it happen though a ¾ cent sales tax that ends after 20 years.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed on a site and allocate $200,000 from government facilities growth fees to hire a consultant to prepare and issue requests for proposals for the actual construction design.
The motion to do so was made by Councilman Charlie Hallford.
Halford started his 32-year law enforcement career with the Manteca Police Department in 1976, the same year the current police facility was completed.
Halford ended up serving 12 years as Manteca’s police chief before retiring in 2008.
In 1976, Manteca had 17,050 residents and 34 MPD employees between officers and support staff.
Today, Manteca has in excess of 91,000 residents and 118 on the police staff
They are working in an almost 50- year-old facticity where closets have been converted to offices, mechanical systems are to the point they need to be replaced, and security is far from being stellar.
There is 20,155 square feet housing operations in five separate buildings.
Originally, the Civic Center police station was designed to handle department growth needed to keep pace with city growth for 20 years. That point was reached in the 1990s.
The solution that will allow for future expansions is a $56 million endeavor with 45,570 square feet of building space.
It is envisioned to be built on 1.98 acres of city owned land backing up to the municipal wastewater treatment plant with the Big League Dreams sports complex to the south.
The police facility would go near the intersection of the future extensions of Milo Candino Drive and Wawona Street.
Milo Candini will go from its current terminus at the northern edge of the BLD sports complex to West Yosemite Avenue.
Wawona Street is envisioned to be extended west of Airport Way and into the city’s 100-acre family entertainment zone bookended by Great Wolf and BLD.
The decision to harness available government fees collected from growth already in the city’s possession and using that to leverage a potential bond that could be secured with passage of Measure Q on the Nov. 5 ballot is how the city hopes to get the police department project beyond the talk stage.
Such a bond ideally would be wedded with whatever grants the city could secure from state and federal sources. It could also be retired with fees on growth yet to occur.
Passage of the 20-year tax increase would give the city the ability to help plug the funding gap as well as address other city needs such as hiring nine more firefighters to staff a sixth fire station needed to be built in southwest Manteca as well as step up road repair work.
“We can’t keep kicking the can down the road,” noted Police Chief Steve Schluer in his presentation. “We need to stomp on the can and get rid of it.”
In regarding the current building it was noted:
*Several critical areas are especially problematic, including the front entrance, lobby, report writing area, Investigations building (General Crimes & Street Crimes Unit), Community Service Officer office, Communications Center, locker rooms, and the Records Department.
*The facility is outdated, too small, and unable to meet the growing needs of the department.
*Enhanced security measures are overdue to protect both staff and the community.
*The lobby is frequently overcrowded due to limited space, lacks public restrooms, and needs additional security features.
*The report writing area is cramped and deteriorating, hindering productivity and disrupting workflow.
*The Investigations building lacks the necessary space and privacy, especially in the outdated evidence work area, making it difficult to handle sensitive cases.
*Storage areas and closets have been repurposed as offices due to the shortage of space.
The community service officers’ workspace office is inadequately small, with poor ventilation, no natural light, and insufficient room for staff expansion.
*The Communications Center, or dispatch area, is also hampered by limited space, privacy issues, and inadequate sound control, all of which reduce productivity.
*There is no breakroom for dispatchers.
*Both the men's and women's locker rooms are outdated.
*There is insufficient storage for equipment and a lack of space to accommodate a growing staff.
*The Records Department and Communications Center are disconnected from their supervisors, causing workflow issues.
*The records staff are currently using a foldout table as a workstation without sound control or privacy from the lobby.
The current facility lacks essential amenities, including a Community Room, Emergency Operations Center, Training Room, gym, and public restroom, to mention a few.
The existing police department buildings at the Civic Center, once a new police station is built, would be repurposed for growing city hall space needs.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
