New Police Headquarters on City Agenda : Simi Valley: Council will consider sites and financing for expanded offices. Current station was severely damaged in January’s temblor.

Moving ahead with plans to build a new police headquarters, the Simi Valley City Council on Monday will consider possible sites and funding sources for the multimillion-dollar station.

To best meet the space and location needs of the Police Department, the new station should be built on a city-owned lot next to City Hall or a nearby field owned by the Simi Valley Unified School District, according to a report compiled by consultant Ruth & Going.

The city commissioned the report after the current station suffered extensive damage in the Jan. 17 earthquake.

“There are a lot of details to work out, but I think we’re definitely on the right path,” Mayor Greg Stratton said. “Our goal now is to keep the process moving along as smoothly as possible.”

Simi Valley could be eligible for as much as $3.7 million in federal quake-relief funds to help cover the $11-million cost of the station. An additional $2.9 million could be covered by the Community Development Agency, with the balance coming from the city’s general fund and special districts, the report suggested.

“The earthquake was a terrible thing, but if it helps us get a new police station, that’s a real benefit,” said Councilwoman Sandi Webb, who pledged during her recent reelection bid to get a new station built.

The department’s existing headquarters on Cochran Street was designed as a temporary facility, built in three stages between 1968 and 1973. It was remodeled for the Police Department in the 1980s at a cost to the city of $1.21 million.

Long-simmering plans to build a new station became urgent after the earthquake caused about $200,000 in damage. A floor sank six inches, walls cracked and broken water lines flooded locker rooms.

Most of the damage has been repaired, but the station falls far below earthquake building codes, Stratton said.

“These buildings were not designed as a permanent home for the department,” Stratton said. “What we have found is that it is virtually impossible to get the existing buildings up to code.”

In recent years, the department has outgrown its 19,200-square-foot facility, spilling over into neighboring buildings. The report recommends that the new station comprise about 53,000 square feet of space.

In its report, Ruth & Going outlined design goals for the station, including more space for offices, a crime lab, locker rooms and a community room.

If the project proceeds as planned, the city will select a construction manager and architect early next year. Construction would begin in May, 1996, and be completed in August, 1997.

Lindsey Paul Miller, who will begin a term on the City Council later this month, is looking forward to ushering in the new station.

“I think I have a real understanding of the needs of law enforcement,” said Miller, a former Simi Valley police chief. “I can tell you this is something we’ve needed for a long time.”