Local News in Brief : Burbank OKs New Police, Fire Building

The Burbank City Council has approved construction of a combined police and fire building to replace its current facilities, which city officials say have deteriorated.

Although a completion date has not been determined, the new headquarters would cost about $19 million, officials said. The building would include a 45,000-square-foot police facility and a 30,000-square-foot Fire Department facility, officials said.

The city’s police facility was built in 1961 and its Fire Department facility was built in 1957. Both buildings are on Olive Avenue in the city’s civic center area.

City Manager Bud Ovrom told the council Tuesday night that the police and fire department buildings have “fallen into pretty bad shape.”

Because such buildings never close, “a police or fire building which is 25 years old has really had over 75 years of wear and tear,” Ovrom said.

It would probably cost about $2.5 million to remodel the police building and about $2.7 million to remodel the Fire Department building, Ovrom said.

Officials are exploring how to pay for the project. Alternatives include selling bonds or liquidating some of the city’s assets, officials said.