Turlock Planning Commission meets today on homeless shelter

By MERRILL BALASSONE
mbalassone@modbee.com

last updated: July 03, 2008 09:17:49 AM

The Turlock City Planning Commission will hold a public hearing today before it votes on the construction of a $900,000 temporary cold weather homeless shelter near the waste-water treatment facility on South Walnut Road.

The City Council in May approved plans for the shelter, a 5,000-square-foot building that would house 70 people from Dec. 1 through March 31 each year.

Three council members balked at the original shelter price tag of $1.7 million and more than $800,000 was cut from the plan, primarily by using city staff to design the site and building instead of a contract architect, said City Manager Tim Kerr.

The facility also would provide services in the event of a countywide or statewide emergency.

In April, the council voted to sell a building at 400 B St. that had served as a shelter for four years, but said some kind of emergency housing should be in place for this winter.

About two dozen city officials and homeless service providers met regularly to survey available land and decided on the South Walnut site next door to Kelso's Auto Wrecking -- much to Lawrence Kelso's chagrin.

A separate group of individuals, spearheaded by the Center for Public Policy at California State University, Stanislaus, is working on a long-term homeless plan that likely will recommend a place for a permanent, year-round homeless shelter. When that shelter is built, or in two years, whichever comes first, the temporary cold weather shelter building on South Walnut would be turned over to the Municipal Services Department, according to city staff.

The Turlock Planning Commission will meet today at 7 p.m. in the Yosemite Room, 156 S. Broadway.

Bee staff writer Merrill Balassone can be reached at mbalassone@modbee.com or 578-2337.

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