Things are looking up for the Morgan Hill police and, if all
goes well, for micro-brew lovers as well. The City Council
Wednesday night decided – almost – to take the least expensive,
quickest path to a new police facility.
Things are looking up for the Morgan Hill police and, if all goes well, for micro-brew lovers as well. The City Council Wednesday night decided – almost – to take the least expensive, quickest path to a new police facility.
Council directed staff to take a serious look at leasing, buying or leasing-to-purchase a new, but empty, industrial building on Vineyard Boulevard, just north of Tennant Avenue. It also asked the staff to see if other suitable buildings might be available closer to the center of town and report back on both issues at the March 5 council meeting.
Police Chief Jerry Galvin, who has been pushing for larger facility for his troops, was happy with the council’s actions.
“I am pleased that the council moved in the direction they moved,” he said Thursday. “It’s one large step toward solving this serious facility problem for the police department.”
The existing police department, on the corner of West Main Avenue and Monterey Road, is just over 10,000 square-feet, overcrowded with a leaky roof, a multi-part HVAC system that seldom works together and only partially-secured outdoor parking. It also suffers from too little evidence and records storage to satisfy police procedures.
The Vineyard building is owned by Bob Dwyer, a Morgan Hill resident and developer, and others. Dwyer described the building to the council.
“It has a 40 percent build-out as office space,” he said. “The air conditioning and restrooms are in. Essentially it is ready for occupancy with the addition of floor covering and doors.”
The 43,000 square-foot building could house 23,000 square-feet of police offices with space for emergency operations and service training rooms, 12,000 square-feet for indoor parking and have 8,000 square-feet left over to rent out to another agency.
Total cost, including conversion improvements to the Vineyard building, is estimated at $9.2 million. Projections for building from scratch is $12 million in 2003’s market.
What came out of the blue, was local residents Geno and Cindy Acevedo, owners of El Toro Brewery and makers of award-winning ales, stouts and beers, offering to buy the old police station for a brew pub. Previously the cost estimates to buy and fit out the Vineyard building did not include money from a sale of the current police facility at Monterey Road and Main Avenue.
“I always thought the building would be a huge white elephant that we couldn’t sell,” said Councilman Greg Sellers.
The Acevedos said they have spent years looking for a site downtown to open a brew pub – a family-style restaurant with what Geno called “a small pilot site.” The primary brewing functions will be maintained at the family’s brewery on Hill Road between East Main and East Dunne Avenues.
“It will be an anchor to downtown,” he said, “and bring others in, too. And, best of all, just up the street is El Toro Mountain.”
Estimates of the building’s current value were not available but City Manager Ed Tewes told the council that the going price would not be high. On the other hand, the record low interest rates and depressed industrial real estate play in the city’s favor in buying the Vineyard building, he said.
Tewes noted that, before the city sold the building, staff would develop a competitive process to identify potential buyers.
The council acknowledged that something had to be done about the current facility but preferred to locate a new facility in the center of town. The city has long had a Capital Improvement Project for a new station and planned to acquire a site in 2003, design the building in 2004 and build it in 2005. With the purchase of the Vineyard Boulevard site, the department may be able to move into the new station by December 2003.
Sellers said he was concerned that there would be less police presence in the downtown area if the department moved south. Downtown has the highest crime rate in the city, he said.
“There will always be a police presence downtown,” Galvin said Thursday. “It’s a high priority. And, during summer months we’ll have the bike patrols back.”
Galvin explained the benefits of indoor parking for police stations.
“It is more secure for suspect transfers,” he said. “There won’t be any more suspects climbing over the fence and escaping into the neighborhood.” He referred to a man suspected of robbing the Bank of America last year who changed his mind about being in police custody and climbed over the 12-foot fence behind the current station.
“The larger portion of the building, built (factory-style) to house printing presses, has doors and gates that will accommodate vehicles,” Galvin said. “It can easily be vented – it was designed to have vehicles in it.”
Mayor Dennis Kennedy agreed with the other council members that they could not afford to pass up the opportunity for a faster and cheaper building with rental space to recoup costs, despite the slightly out-of-the-way location.
“I think we should go forward with it,” he said.
With rental fees from the extra space, Kennedy estimated that the $199,000 annual operating costs for the building would be reduced to $50,000.
Council voted 5-0 in favor of going forward but encouraged staff to identify potential renters. Galvin said he had offered the extra space to the county Sheriff’s Department for a substation but was turned down. He will try the probation department next.
“Maybe a nonprofit,” Tewes said.
Council also asked that, if possible, the construction work be bid to Morgan Hill companies and that prevailing wages be paid.
One large bump in the road remains, though – the budget crisis that is causing this and other cities to scale back spending.
Councilwoman Hedy Chang asked Galvin what he would decide if it came down to no raises and having to lay off police officers or postponing the new building.
“In 27 years of policing I’ve never had to lay off an officer,” he said. “I will put people first.”
He mentioned the layoffs in the department in the early 1990s from the last budget crunch.
“The scars still remain,” Galvin said.
MEDICAL CLINIC
The agency item to consider a medical clinic, gas station, car wash and fast food restaurant on the southeast corner of the Tennant Avenue/Hwy. 101 interchange was postponed because none of the applicants could be present.
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