BARSTOW • Major construction on the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department station in Barstow will begin this month after county supervisors awarded construction contracts to two Southern California companies.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday awarded contracts of $635,000 and $113,350 to Cooley Construction Inc. of Hesperia and AVACO Construction of Riverside respectively, according to a county press release.

“This renovation will relieve overcrowding in the station and provide staff and the public with a station they can be proud of,” First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt said in a statement.

The construction, projected to cost about $3.5 million, will overhaul interior spaces such as the lobby, locker rooms, briefing rooms and restrooms, according to Captain Cliff Raynolds. With approximately 80 employees working at the site, common areas have become increasingly cramped and overcrowded, Raynolds said.

“At this point, we have everything that we need technologically,” he said. “We just need more room.”

Expansion under the project includes a 4,000-square-foot addition to the station’s west end and 40 more spaces to the parking lot. Currently, deputies are sometimes forced to double-park in the lot when their shifts overlap, Raynolds said.

Upgrades to the lobby are slated for completion in March. Expansions to the parking lot are expected to be finished by April. Construction work in both areas are expected to begin by the end of this month, Raynolds said.

Construction on the station’s main building is expected to begin in the fall and be completed in 2010. The facility already began cosmetic work on its front end in the summer, swapping a grass lawn for desert plants and rocks. Under the county’s plan, the changes will match the look of Stiern Park. The park, located adjacent to the station, will also be remodeled into a desertscape area.

“We want this to become a showcase for other departments,” Raynolds said of the facility, which at 40 years old is currently the county’s oldest patrol station.

Cooley will oversee the parking lot expansion and remodel of Stiern Park. The project will also install new security gates, according to the release. AVACO will be renovating the station’s lobby and restrooms and also make the site accessible to the disabled.

Deputies at the Barstow station are responsible for covering about 10,000 square miles in San Bernardino County in a region that stretches from Trona to the Nevada state line, according to the release.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4126 or cnguyen@desertdispatch.com

Background:
Officials from both the city and county have pitched in to advance the expansion and renovation of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s station in Barstow, the county’s oldest patrol site. In April, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors allocated $150,000 in federal grants to the $3.5-million project. In May, the Barstow City Council approved a 20-year lease to the county for Stiern Park, an area adjoining the station included in the expansion. Construction will move forward this month, after county supervisors tapped two firms to begin the project, which will nearly double the station’s size by the time of its expected completion in 2010.