Santa Monica Officials Seek Input on Proposed Public Safety Facility

Santa Monica officials are moving forward with a proposed $40-million public safety facility slated to house the city’s police, fire and emergency operations.

The city has invited the public to comment on the project’s possible environmental impact at a “public scoping” meeting at 7 tonight at the Ocean Park Library.

The 12,000-square-foot facility, which would be erected on a parking lot east of the police station on Main Street, would house the police headquarters, jail facility, fire administration and a coordinated dispatch center. If funding is secured, construction would begin in late 1998 and the complex would be completed by 2001.

Police officials said a new building is needed to replace the worn headquarters where police and fire officials are stationed. More than 400 employees are crammed into an aging building designed for 160 people.

The 40-year-old facility was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, causing 911 operations to shut down for four hours.

Santa Monica leaders have been struggling to piece together financing for the facility after voters narrowly defeated a $29.5-million bond measure in November.

The City Council is considering issuing up to $18 million in revenue bonds to help pay for the complex. The city has another $16 million in revenue set aside for the project, and $6.4 million in transportation funds may be available.