SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- The city hasn't set a specific timeline yet but says it's one third of the way into its design phase for the new Santa Maria Police Station.
The project site is on the corner of Blosser Road and Betteravia Avenue facing the railroad tracks. It consists of an existing building the city owns a little more than half of. The city is conducting design improvements for the interior of the new building so it is built to Department of Justice standards.
The city doesn't have a specific move in a date yet but says it most likely won't happen this year. Most of the construction will be interior upgrades to the building which police say is a major improvement.
"We are really excited about moving into a new facility," say Santa Maria Police Chief Ralph Martin. "We have been in this building for 60 years and it was designed for less than half of the personnel. We're going to a new facility that is fairly modern with 70,000 square feet so we are going to triple the amount of space."
The new station on 1111 Betteravia Avenue will include a shooting range, office space and new evidence rooms built for a modern police department that they don't have at the current station.
"It's not very accessible to the public. We've got a very small lobby," say Chief Martin. "We don't have enough space for police cars. It's something we've needed for a long time."
Once the police move into the building. The city has to figure out what to do with the old station. The city says Santa Barbara County has expressed interest in buying the old police station and turning it into a court administration building.
