Tours and ceremonies planned for Saturday’s opening
of new building
Gilroy – Before police cruisers park in the roomy garage, before officers doff their holsters in the spit-polished locker rooms, before DNA samples crowd the shelves of the evidence unit, the police department is throwing open the doors of its new building to cops and civilians alike.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said project manager Bill Headley. “Once they move in, you won’t be able to see this.”
Saturday, Gilroy police will dedicate the building to C.J. Laizure, the city’s first police chief, and offer guided tours of the 100,000-plus square-foot building. Visitors can learn the ins and outs of the department and peruse historical displays assembled by the department’s unofficial historian, Detective Frank Bozzo; a two-year labor of love. The tours will give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at evidence rooms, dispatch centers and jail cells, largely off-limits to the law-abiding public once police move in this May.
The biggest change will likely be the expansive lobby, with private interview rooms and a separate exit for prisoners. At the department’s current Rosanna Street headquarters, a cramped lobby offers little privacy to victims, witnesses and criminals, who split the de-facto interview space. Headley emphasized the building’s comfortable feel.
“Any police station is intimidating – we understand that,” he said. “We’ve made it as inviting as we can.”
For police, the C.J. Laizure building will provide elbow room for the expanding police force, and a renewed sense of professionalism, said Assistant Chief Lanny Brown.
Police won’t move into their new headquarters until May 9 and 10, after computers are installed (a six-to-eight week process, Brown said.) A security consultant has already reviewed and approved the building.
“It’s coming together real well,” said Brown.
But the building’s $26 million-plus price tag is still under dispute, with up to $1 million hanging in the balance. Contractor SJ Amoroso has refused to pay in full for construction errors, including a roofing mistake and moldy paneling, as well as the labor costs incurred by a one-year delay in construction. Every day the project stays open costs money, said Brown.
“The two questions we always get asked are, ‘Is it within budget?’ and ‘Is it on time?'” he said. “And the answers are no, and no.”
But as the building finally nears completion, Headley says it’s better late than never, for a facility that should accommodate Gilroy police long into the future.
“This is a 50-year building,” he said, “and if it’s well-maintained, it could work twice that long.”
C.J. Laizure building dedication ceremony
*10am to 3pm, Saturday at Seventh and Hanna streets
* Event will include flag raising ceremony, a Masons ceremony, recognition of dignitaries, ribbon cutting and guided tours of the new police department.
* Spanish translation available and food will be provided
