Sonora City Council To Hear Update On Planning For New Police Station
Sonora, CA — The Sonora City Council will hear a presentation on a recent study looking at the shortcomings of the current police station and potential new locations.
The company Vanir was hired to do a space needs study, an assessment of the current spot, and a study looking at potential future locations.
The current building at 100 South Green Street was built in the 1960s as an auto repair shop. There was an addition added in 1974. The building was renovated in the mid-1990s to become the police facility and has been in continuous service since that time.
Detailing the existing South Green Street location, Vanir notes, “The facility requires extensive upgrades to meet modern police standards…While the building is not well suited to function as a police facility, the building could still function well as a commercial structure with minor upgrades. There are several safety and security issues that cannot be mitigated or improved based on the current location of the building:
• Being located next to the creek, at times of high water there is the possibility of undermining the building foundation and flooding of the Server Room and other areas of the building.
• There is a residence immediately adjacent to the parking garage that appears to have an egress directly on to the parking deck.
• The police facility has only one means of egress because the creek, steep slopes behind the building, and the adjacent residence effectively close off three sides of the building.”
Seven potential future sites were studied, and only two had enough space to adequately house a future police station. They are an open lot at the intersection of Morning Star Drive and Child Road or a piece of property at 13165 Sanguinetti Road (would have to be annexed because it is outside the city limits).
Some of the other spots studied included the historic Sonora Dome and the old Sheriff’s Office Patrol building on Yaney Avenue. Read the full site study, here.
It will be further discussed at today’s 5 pm meeting at City Hall.
Other items on the agenda include the swearing-in of new Police Officer Victor Garcia and Police Dispatcher/Records Specialist Zachary Argenal. In addition, there will be an update from the Sonora Chamber of Commerce and District One Tuolumne County Supervisor Mike Holland.
