Modesto council to consider more space for public safety

The City Council is expected to meet in closed session Tuesday night to discuss the possible purchase of the former Stanislaus Implement Hardware Co. for the site of a new public safety administration building and fire station.

City Manager Jim Holgersson said those talks are in the very preliminary stages. City officials spoke with council members at recent workshops about buying the site and building the facility.

The Stanislaus Implement Hardware Co. building is downtown on 10th Street near the Police Department and the Fire Department’s Station 1 and administration building. Officials have said the fire station is 76 years old and in need of major repairs. They also say fire and police administration need more room.

Officials have estimated the cost of buying the land at $2.5 million and the cost of building a fire station and administration center at $7 million, according to information presented at the workshops. Holgersson said determining how to pay for this project is one of the issues that needs to be worked out if the council decides to move forward on this proposal.

During its regular meeting, the council will consider entering into a month-to-month lease with Stanislaus Implement for the use of its parking lot at a cost of $1,000 per month. A city report states the Police Department needs additional parking.

The council also is expected to:

▪ Approve entering into a contract with Modesto-based Data Path to provide the city with interim chief information officer services at a cost of $16,000 per month and not to exceed $128,000 over the life of the contract. Data Path’s John Dickey is expected to serve as interim CIO for four to six months until the city names a permanent CIO.

▪ Adopt a resolution expressing its solidarity with Iraq and its Assyrian population and condemning the attacks and persecution brought against Assyrian Christians by Islamic State militants. Stanislaus County has one of the largest Assyrian populations in the United States, estimated at about 20,000.

▪ Authorize the purchase of a crime scene command vehicle for the Modesto Police Department at an estimated cost of nearly $153,000. A city report states the department needs a new vehicle because its current one is 20 years old and has met or exceeded the criteria used in determining when it should be replaced.

▪ Approve a challenge grant of as much as $250,000 for the Miracle League of Stanislaus County, which is raising money to build a baseball field in Modesto for disabled children. League officials have said they need about $1.5 million for the project and have raised about $1 million. The city grant will be matched dollar-for-dollar by other donors. The $250,000 is from extra or carryover funds the city had from its last budget year, which ended June 30.

▪ Approve Modesto’s 2015-18 strategic plan. Council members and city staff members completed the plan during recent workshops. It focuses on such areas as developing the city’s quality of life and economy, improving its infrastructure and its neighborhoods.

The council will meet at 5:30 p.m. in the basement chambers of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St.

This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Modesto council to consider more space for public safety."