New $40 Million Probation Department Building Opens in SLO County
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) - San Luis Obispo County celebrated on Monday the grand opening a new building that has been in the works for more than two decades, the new home for the Probation Department.
"This day represents so much," said San Luis Obispo County Chief Probation Officer Tom Milder. "It represents a new beginning for the probation department in certain respects."
Under unseasonably warm conditions, about 100 people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony, which was held at the site of the new building that's located on Bishop Street, just off of Johnson Avenue.
The two-story structure is 34,000 in size and includes dozens of rooms and offices, along with modern amenities the Probation Department has not enjoyed at its previous headquarters.
"We've never had anything like it, said Milder. "It's an amazing new space. It has space for all kinds of essential probation responsibilities, whether it's training of staff, interview rooms, office space to meet with persons we're responsible for, programing space where we can run cognitive behavioral groups and other interventions for those we work with, locker rooms for staff. Key pieces to our public safety responsibility. There's an armory, there's an evidence room. There's a safety equipment room. All modern, safe, secure."
The new building is located essentially next door to the old Probation Department building that dates back to the 1940's.
According to the County, the old site was woefully antiquated and severely lacking in the size, space and scope needed for the department to meet its needs.
"It's a very old building and in fact is due to be torn down afterwards," said Milder. "The County could no longer even put money into that building. It wasn't worth it. We needed this new space and in lieu of repurposing something else that wasn't going to maximize the efficiencies and the public safety contributions we have as a department, the County chose to invest in this, and we are extremely grateful for that."
With the new building now finished, the County said the $40 million facility will enhance public safety, as well as support its rehabilitative mission.
"It's really is more than a building," said Matt Pontes, San Luis Obispo County Chief Executive Officer. "This is an investment in efficiency. It's an investment in our staff. It's an investment safety for the community that we do business with. It's an opportunity for staff to be more efficient. We're consolidating three separate operations into one facility. We hope that it facilitates more communication and better serves the public. We've got it kind of set up here to be a safe facility and we're really excited about it."
Another key component to the new building is that it keeps the Probation Department within the same location, close to many other nearby related services along the Johnson Avenue area.
"This facility really is kind of our jewel of the campus now," said Pontes. "This campus is put together and it was designed from the time which the county started investing it with the old hospital, in really trying to have our services close to each other and close to the public that we serve. I think one of the important things is really locating this new modern facility within the campus of other health like operations that we have. We have the Public Health Department here on campus. We have Welcome Home Village coming online soon. We have the sobering center. We have. some of the Public Health, Environmental Health and really trying to create a campus where our community can go get the services they need in an efficient manner."
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