Yuba City to consider awarding $1.1M contract for police department expansion

Yuba City City Council members will consider awarding a $1.1 million contract to the lowest bidder for an expansion to the police department – a project previously approved by the council in June.

The project will expand the department’s secured parking area and build infrastructure to support future projects like a storage building, a police dog training area and a solar array structure. The expansion would be to an area in the adjacent city-owned field to the east of the department’s site.

Public Works Deputy Director Benjamin Moody said the police department’s current parking facility has been limited for years, making it difficult to accommodate private vehicles and others used for police operations.

“Additionally, the police department is required to provide secure and tamper-free storage of vehicles when they are utilized as evidence. In order to adequately meet this requirement, the secured entryway known as a Sally Port is currently utilized, which adversely affects the safe transport of prisoners into and out of the building,” Moody said in a staff report.

Council members approved plans and specifications for the project on June 19. The Public Works Department advertised for bids a month later. Five bids were received – the lowest being Mccuen Construction for $1,107,200.

If the Mccuen bid is accepted by the council, the department will pay for the project by drawing from a few different funds – including a designated police department parking expansion fund ($900,000), traffic safety funds ($100,000), STOP Funds ($50,000), and COPS Grant ($100,000).

Work would likely commence in the first week of October and take about six months, depending on weather, Moody said.

Today’s council meeting will start at 6 p.m. at City Hall – 1201 Civic Center Blvd., Yuba City.