Architect Approves Police Station Plan

Camarillo city officials have received an architect’s approval of the proposed conversion of a community center to a new police station and are now trying to scrape together the $4 million needed for the project.

Assistant City Manager Larry Davis said a recent study by Kulwiec Group Architects in Camarillo showed the feasibility of remodeling the Bill Esty Community Center at 3701 Las Posas Road as a station for Ventura County sheriff’s deputies who patrol Camarillo and surrounding unincorporated areas.

The City Council is expected to decide whether to go ahead on the project before the city’s purchase option on the building expires at the end of January, Davis said.

He said the council will have to decide how to raise $1.6 million to purchase the 27,000-square-foot structure and another $2.4 million for remodeling and other expenses.

The city has about $450,000 on hand for the project and may raise the balance by taking out a loan or issuing bonds, Davis said.

In addition, city officials have asked county officials to pay some portion of the cost, he said.

Camarillo contracts with the Sheriff’s Department to police the city, but 15 of the 55 deputies at the existing Camarillo station on Palm Drive patrol the unincorporated areas surrounding the city, Commander Ray Abbott said.

In addition, the six support staff at the station divide their time between duties related to Camarillo and unincorporated areas, with about 25% of their salaries paid by the county, Abbott said.

The proposed new police station, which would be more than five times the size of the existing station, would likewise serve unincorporated areas.

For this reason, Camarillo officials hope that the county will pay about $300,000 toward remodeling and furnishing the station, Davis said.