April 14, 2023

Fullerton’s police station is falling apart. Here’s how 2 lawmakers hope to help

On the northeast corner of Highland and Commonwealth avenues stands the Fullerton police station, a Spanish Colonial Revival architectural building with flat, red tile roofing and colorful glazed ceramic tiles adorning the walls in the courtyard.

Originally built as Fullerton City Hall in July 1941 and known to longtime locals as “Old City Hall,” the building left an impression on Rep. Lou Correa, D-Anaheim, when he was a student at Cal State Fullerton.

“I would usually go to the library in that area,” he said. “And I always marveled at those beautiful buildings.”

But the historic building is badly in need of repair, according to local organizations and law enforcement who work there.

The concrete walls around the sunken courtyard are stained yellow and brown, and the iron rails are severely rusted. Ceramic tiles have broken or fallen off the walls, and large patches of paint are cracked and peeling. Lead paint and asbestos throughout the building pose health concerns while the locker room, shower, jail and holding facilities are too old and insufficient to handle the needs of the department, according to Fullerton Police Chief Robert Dunn.

That’s why Correa and Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Seal Beach, teamed up to request $2.5 million in federal funds for the “remediation of hazardous materials and the restoration of the Fullerton Police Station,” according to Correa’s office.

“We want to help our public safety officers have a better place to work, while keeping the tradition, the ambiance and the beauty of Fullerton,” Correa said.

“These officers are defending us and putting their lives on the line, and we want to help them by making sure they’re working in a properly maintained location,” said Steel.

Of the three showers stalls, one is not usable and is a “hazard for officers” while the other two are being used, albeit in very bad condition, police spokesperson Jon Radus said. The jails, too, are being used but need to be modernized, he said.

The $2.5 million figure recommended to the city manager’s office by OC Public Works, Radus said, is an estimate for the inspection and repair costs for the jail and processing area, women’s shower and restroom area, the men’s and women’s locker rooms, the secure canopy where detainees are brought into the facility, “The History of California” mural and sunken courtyard.

Since its construction, the building hasn’t undergone any major renovations, said Daisy Perez, Fullerton’s deputy city manager. Routine maintenance work — such as repairs to leaking windows and roofing, plumbing and HVAC fixes — has occurred over the years, and old carpeting on the second floor and basement were replaced.

Fullerton, in the past, has granted some funding to the police department to rehabilitate its facilities, Perez said, which included renovations to the CSI office and lab, HVAC unit replacements and interior painting.

But further repairs and updates are complicated by the asbestos and lead paint since renovations can disturb the toxic material. Efforts to mitigate hazards from asbestos or lead increase the project cost, said Dunn, who was appointed as the city’s police chief in 2019.

“Our project is quite extensive and monumental to undertake a complete retrofit of the building, and I’m certain that the city knows that. We know that,” Dunn said. “And this is why we’re appreciative of the help from our federal representatives.”

The “Old City Hall” is one of more than 20 Fullerton buildings listed on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Register of Historic Places — and one of only four past Orange County city hall buildings on the list, according to the federal database.

Ernie Kelsey, president of the nonprofit Fullerton Heritage, said the organization will work with city staff in “preserving this local landmark.”

“Something we would do on a project like this is ask that as part of the project team, they have some kind of historic coordinator or somebody that’s worked on restoration,” Kelsey said. “Because it’s on the National Register, it goes through some different rules.”

The funding will need to be approved by the Appropriations Committee before it can go directly to the city to be used for the police department. The ask is part of lawmakers’ community project funding requests.

And the bipartisan nature of the request, Correa believes, will bolster the chances of its approval.


By:  HANNA KANG
Source: The Orange County Register