County should have considered downtown for consolidation of
departments
San Benito County supervisors are saving millions of dollars by
consolidating three departments’ offices into one building, but it
comes at a cost to the struggling downtown.
County should have considered downtown for consolidation of departments
San Benito County supervisors are saving millions of dollars by consolidating three departments’ offices into one building, but it comes at a cost to the struggling downtown.
San Benito County supervisors voted this week to approve the $2.7 million purchase of the 2301 Technology Parkway building near the Hollister Municipal Airport. While the move as a whole is a wise direction for county leaders – choosing to buy an existing structure as opposed to doing it the old-fashioned way in government, building from the ground up at a premium cost – it wasn’t the most ideal location as it relates to the general community effort of keeping the downtown core thriving and, when possible, injecting new life into the merchant-based economy.
Supervisors deserve praise for using savings creativity in the approach, but they missed an opportunity by moving an existing employer out of the city’s economic focus. The sheriff’s office as a whole employs about 100 full-time employees, though many of those are part of jail operations. They also would be taking two departments already on the outskirts of town and moving them to another boundary of Hollister. It’s also worth mentioning that in a large geographic county, the two primary law enforcement agencies’ headquarters will be within blocks of each other.
Every bit of business matters, and this is yet another hit to an area where city and business leaders have strived to spur consistent, economic growth. It wasn’t long ago, remember, when community leaders rallied after state officials announced the new courthouse would be built on Fallon Road near the jail – and prompted state officials to change their mind. It was even more recent when locals spoke up about a widespread preference for Gavilan College to seriously consider expanding classroom space at the former Leatherback property to coexist down the road with the YMCA and commercial tenants, because it aligned with the vision for rejuvenating the city’s economy from the inside out.
The sheriff’s office move represents the same dilemma, albeit on a smaller scale, so why in this case were county officials content with setting aside other important factors, such as location, when deciding to move ahead on the $2.7 million purchase?
It doesn’t add up from a logical perspective, but there are two still-influential yet soon-departing leaders in County Administrative Officer Susan Thompson and Sheriff Curtis Hill who have little to lose personally or politically by pushing through the move before their departures.
Staying at the same sheriff’s office on Fourth Street, meanwhile, is no longer a reasonable option due to the fact that renovating the facility would carry a cost far higher than the price to buy and fix up the Technology Parkway property.
More discussion on other facility options that fit more in line with this community’s goals, though, would have been nice.
