LOMPOC VALLEY - The future of public safety training on the Central Coast, and perhaps beyond, is being built in the Lompoc Valley.
The Public Safety Complex at the Lompoc Valley campus of Allan Hancock College has been many years in the making and is now nearing completion and attracting attention from near and far.
"This is going to be the flagship of the California Central Coast", says AHC Fire Academy Director Andy Densmore, "we believe this will be well received and will become the destination of choice for public safety training."
Budgeted for $46 million, the Public Safety Complex is being built on about 60 acres on AHC's Lompoc Valley campus and will provide a state of the art, regional training site for police, firefighters and emergency response workers looking to be certified and recertified.
The completion and opening of the Public Safety Complex is eagerly anticipated by merchants in nearby Vandenberg Village.
It will likely mean more hotcakes on the griddle at the Village Stop Coffee Shop.
"I can't wait", says Village Stop Coffee Shop owner David Ybarra, "I expect it (complex) to boost my business."
Other tenants in the Village Center shopping center are also hoping to get a taste of the action from the dozens of people that are expected to visit the AHC Public Safety Complex every day.
"Anything that will bring more people to the Village", says Javier Ramirez of Mr. Taco, "we'd like to have a piece of that cake too."
"They're welcome here", says Subway store manager Margaret White, "I'll open 24 hours if I have to."
They are banking on new business from the Public Safety Complex at Village Burgers where they converted a bank building into a popular restaurant.
"Absolutely", says manager Christina Zafiris, "the more the merrier."
If all goes as planned the new AHC Public Safety Complex should be open in September.
"Our facility will be unique", Densmore says, "we got with our training cadre and asked them wherever you've gone for training, did you ask yourself, this place would have been great if it had "this", we put "this" in our facility."
The money to pay for the AHC Public Safety Complex is coming from the Measure I construction bond approved by voters back in 2006.
Exxon Mobil has expressed interest in using the new AHC Public Safety Complex to train its employees and the project has also attracted interest from Texas A&M University.
