March 7, 2008

City breaks ground on new substation

By Jeanne C. Carbone
Staff Writer

Cold rain and wind didn’t keep anyone from attending the groundbreaking ceremony for San Jose Police Department’s new southern division substation on Feb. 22.

It’s official; SJPD Chief of Police Rob Davis, Councilmembers Pete Constant, Pierluigi Oliverio, Nancy Pyle, Forrest Williams, Kansen Chu, Nora Campos and Vice Mayor Dave Cortese break ground for the new substation. Photos by Jeanne C. Carbone

“In 2002, the voters of the city were asked to support the Public Safety Bond,” said San Jose Vice Mayor Dave Cortese in his opening remarks. “The city council and the citizens of the city of San Jose were committed to supporting the bond measure. We have to thank the rank and file owners of the residences of the city for making this day possible.”

Chief of Police Rob Davis and Director of Public Works Katy Allen joined Cortese at the groundbreaking. It was also important to a number of City Council members who were there including Nancy Pyle, Pierluigi Oliverio, Forrest Williams, Pete Constant, Kansen Chu and Nora Campos. Also attending were Assistant City Manager Christine Shippey, Deputy City Manager Ed Shikada as well as a number of civic and community leaders.

A longtime dream of the San Jose Police Department [SJPD], the need for a substation has grown as the city’s population escalated. In March 2002, San Jose voters passed the Neighborhood Security Bond Act, Measure O, approving the issuance of $159 million in General Obligation bonds and funding the construction of 36 public safety facilities.

However, some thought the substation might not be built because prices have increased significantly and the money set aside for the substation was nearly $7 million less than the lowest bid for the facility. Last fall, the city manager’s staff scrambled to find the money, which includes taking $1.1 million appropriated for public art, which caused a rift in the city council vote to approve the building costs.

“We have to stop putting things off to pay for later,” said Councilmember Pete Constant at the Dec. 18 council meeting prior to the vote approving construction. “We can’t ignore the fact that we not only have a $175 million deficit, we also have $700 million in deferred maintenance. We really need to struggle with those issues. I can’t see making sacrifices in infrastructure and public safety…” he said.

Pyle was among the strongest advocates for the measure. The council member told her colleagues that “we all have to make serious and difficult decisions. I would have preferred spending the Corta De Rosa funds for soccer fields. [But] the substation will allow the police to work more efficiently, provide less C0-2 output, resulting in better air quality and less traffic on our freeways,” she said. Funds from the sale of the District 10’s Corta De Rosa lands were about $2.5 million that had been received but not yet budgeted allowing the city to use it to help make up the difference between the bond money and the low bid.

Though some council members were upset about taking away the money appropriated for public art projects for the building. They felt that if the money wasn’t used for art, it could set a precedent.

At the meeting, Williams, whose district is housing the new substation, declared his concern that if the art money is removed, it won’t ever be returned and the substation will be left bare, possibly setting a precedent for future public art projects. Campos and Chu, both who voted for a substitute motion Williams suggested to ensure the art would be paid for, also echoed those sentiments. But that motion was defeated, with seven members voting against it.

“I spent 18 years working in a ‘temporary’ building for IBM,” Chu said. “If we don’t fund the art now, we won’t ever fund it.”

Later, Williams vowed to find the necessary funds to pay for the artworks.

The San Jose Police Department honor guard starts the groundbreaking ceremony for the new south substation. The construction site at Great Oaks Boulevard and Brooklyn Avenue is in the background.

And at the groundbreaking, Williams was thrilled the substation will finally be built. “This project started 37 years ago,” he said. “That speaks volumes about the commitment of the community. This is a great day for San Jose.”

The SJPD South Substation was identified as essential to improving police service in the area. The current commute between downtown and the southern areas of the city costs the department $10,000 a day. “This substation will eliminate a huge percentage of that cost,” said Cortese.

In December 2005, the city purchased the 10.5-acre site from Hitachi Global Storage Technologies at Great Oaks Boulevard and Brooklyn Avenue near the intersection of Highways 85 and 101. The new structure will be a 107,000-square-foot, three-story main building with a 6,000-square-foot vehicle maintenance area that includes a basement with parking, a fuel station and a car wash for police vehicles. The building will also contain a 2,100-square-foot public meeting room.

The substation is designed by Ross Drulis Cusenbury Architecture and will be constructed under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design [LEED] Green Building Rating System. It will include a high level of energy efficiency in mechanical and electrical systems.

The total project cost is $82,167,000 built by S. J. Amoroso Construction Company. Actual construction begins in March with a scheduled completion date of October 2009. It will serve Districts 2, 8, 9 and 10 and house approximately 400 officers.

“The police department has done a tremendous job keeping our city safe,” said Cortese. “The substation is only going to help the department keep the city safe for future generations.”