‘We can’t wait to start.’ Los Banos police break ground on new, long-awaited station facility
After many years of planning, discussions and meetings, Los Banos officials on Thursday finally put their shovels in the soil, kicking off the first step in the building of the city’s new 26,400 square-foot police station.
Located just northwest of Mercey Springs Road and East Pacheco Boulevard at 1111 G Street in Los Banos, the $24 million project is expected to help police centralize their operations into one location — with ample room to house the department as it grows for years to come.
Police Chief Gary Brizzee said the facility will open doors the Los Banos community hasn’t seen “in decades.” Brizzee was joined at Thursday’s kickoff event by law enforcement and civic officials from around Merced County.
“Our current facilities are a bit antiquated. We’re overgrown. We’ve been there for too long, decades too long. This community deserves an efficient, state-of-the-art police facility and we’re going to bring that to them in the next couple of years,” Brizzee said.
Los Banos residents can expect to start seeing construction crews at the 3.6-acre site around mid-June. The building is expected to be finished in September next year. Brizzee said police expect to be moved in by November 2023. “We’ll have all of our divisions under one roof operating efficiently and effectively. We can’t wait to start,” Brizzee added.
Los Banos Mayor Tom Faria said the project is the culmination of “many years of pride in service and integrity in action.”
Faria thanked former city leaders for their dedication on the project. He thanked Los Banos citizens, saying “the approval of measures P, A, and K. Measure H and some meticulous budget planning and management, have made this day a reality.”
The new building will also house the department’s administrative services, code enforcement, crime analysis, investigations, a jail/temporary division, patrol division, Police Activities League, property/evidence records and the traffic division.
This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 11:29 AM.