Long-planned new sheriff’s substation finally coming to Nipomo
NIPOMO, Calif. - San Luis Obispo County has finally secured the funding needed to build the long-proposed new sheriff's substation in Nipomo.
Earlier this month, the Board of Supervisors approved funding for the planned 7,000 square foot facility that will be built on county-owned property at the intersection of East Tefft Street and Carrillo Street in Old Towne Nipomo.
"The current estimated cost for the project is about $11 million," said Fourth District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding. "That includes the design cost as well as the construction costs. When I was first elected in 2022, and took office in 2023, I advocated that we make this a top priority because public safety is our Board of Supervisors number one priority."
Paulding added the project is "long overdue," and will help improve public safety in the growing community.
"It'll be located right here here in Old Towne, directly adjacent to where the current report writing facility is for the Sheriff's Office," said Paulding on Wednesday morning while standing in the empty field where the new building will be located. "The plan is to go through the design build process and start construction in 2027 and complete construction in 2028."
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office points out the new substation will not only add a greater law enforcement presence in the community, it will also reduce call response times.
“Currently, patrol operations are based in Oceano, so those deputies that cover Nipomo start and stop their shift in Oceano," said San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Nate Paul. "While that doesn't seem like a long way away, when there's an emergency call for service, or some reason that you have to get to Nipomo quickly, even five minutes can seem like a long time. Having a station in Nipomo, we’ll be based there and able to respond to calls that much more quickly.”
Paulding, who represents the Nipomo area, agreed that the new substation will benefit the entire town and surrounding area, calling it a "huge win" for the community.
He specifically pointed out how the substation will allow for faster emergency response times, create a local space for the public to meet with law enforcement and also create a community meeting room.
"Having heard from the community that this is a top priority, and having worked to advocate to move this project forward, this is really important," said Paulding. "Nipomo deserves this."
Both Paul and Paulding remarked how Nipomo is actually a bigger community than many people make think, and will only continue to grow in the future.
"Within the Nipomo Community Services District area, there's about 18,000 people," said Paulding. "Then on the broader Nipomo Mesa, we're talking 24,000 people, so you compare that to a city like the City of Arroyo Grande, 18,000 people, (Nipomo) is larger and the needs are greater, so this is really critical, especially because the, Sheriff's Office has to patrol this whole geographic area all the way out. Highway 166, for example, and to the more rural and remote parts of the county. As we look at Nipomo and its growth, you take the Dana Reserve project, for example, which adds about 1500 homes, that's about 4,500 new people coming into the community, and then we know there's about another 1,000 units of housing units going in. When you kind of add all that together, we're looking at a current population of around 24,000 on the Nipomo Mesa, going to about 30,000 over the next, ten year period, so it is really vital that we have the facilities that we need to serve that growing population."
Paul echoed those comments from Paulding that Nipomo is a surprisingly large community, and is one that needs a larger law enforcement presence than it currently has today.
"The community of Nipomo is actually bigger than any of the South County cities in terms of square miles or population," said Paul. "As a result, it definitely deserves its own citation to centralize public safety and meet the needs of the community."
