McFarland awarded $5 million toward new police station

Jul. 7—Months after a lobbying effort that garnered community opposition and national attention, the city of McFarland will likely get its new police station without the loss of its community library.

As part of $21 million for public safety grants secured in the 2023-24 state budget by two Bakersfield representatives — Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains and state Sen. Melissa Hurtado — $5 million is to be set aside for the construction of a police station in McFarland.

"We ask our police officers to do so much for our communities, but too often the police stations they work out of are outdated and insufficient to do the job," Bains said. "I am proud to give something back for their service. The officers in McFarland deserve this."

Bains said she heard about the need for a new station at a community roundtable last October, amid a monthslong inquiry over whether the city of McFarland could justify the takeover of the Clara M. Jackson Branch Library, located less than a block from the current police station. The branch is part of the Kern County Library system.

"The situation in McFarland is a prime example of what happens when the state ignores the needs of rural communities," Bains said. "Our region is forced to fight for crumbs amongst ourselves. ... Can you imagine San Francisco or (Los Angeles) having to choose between an adequate police station or a library because they don't have enough space for both?"

Many city leaders, including council members, the superintendent of the local schools, and the Parks and Recreation Department voiced their support for the takeover, pointing to a police department in dire straits.

"I hate the idea of losing a public library, but at this point, I think converting that into a police station would be a net gain for the community," McFarland Unified Superintendent Aaron Resendez said in a 2022 Californian report. "There's no good option and so we're trying to make the best option."

At a fraction of the size, the station is far older than the more recently built library. It's quartered by about two dozen employees who share a restroom and some of whom even share a desk. The walls are thin and the conversations are annoyingly public. Confiscated materials are kept in a closet.

"This topic hit everybody's radar initially when we were looking at the library," said Kenny Williams, McFarland's former police chief and current city manager. "It was extremely well publicized ... I had phone calls for weeks and months in regards to that."

At the center of the issue was a lack of money to pay for a new police station. Set in a city that has seen recent expansion — it doubled in size last year due to an annexation of 2,100 acres of surrounding farmland — the McFarland community has a number of growing pains it needs to address.

"We have a lot of huge needs to keep the city growing and it all costs money," Williams said. "The Police Department is a need, but it's one of many to keep serving our community."

Since relinquishing his position as police chief this past spring, Williams said he recognizes that McFarland has many needs beyond a new police station. The farming community of 14,500 needs two water wells and continued upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant, among other costly fixes.

Without the state grant, McFarland would likely not have a new police station anytime soon.

"We're pleased to see $5 million in funding has been allocated to assist McFarland's leaders in building a new police facility," said Ryan Alsop, Kern's chief administrative officer. "Our county's state legislative delegation deserves a big thank you."

While the exact cost is still undetermined, building a station from scratch should cost between $8 million and $13 million. The city has $3.3 million reserved in a bond measure, but Williams acknowledged he's reluctant to devote it solely to a station over other pressing matters.

"We're a small city but we don't want to build for right now," Williams explained. "Because in two years, we'll outgrow it. We're trying to build for where we'll be 10 to 20 out — that will sustain us and allow us to grow into the size we need for the next 20 years."

The station will likely be constructed on a city-owned, 5-acre parcel between Elmo Highway and Davis Road. Inside, it will have all necessary amenities, such as separate desks, as well as the city's emergency operations center.

And since their many grant applications have yet to receive a response, Williams said the city is looking for ways to cut costs, such as ordering a prefabricated structure from a factory, much like the Corcoran Police Department in Kings County.

Corcoran built its station at a fraction of the cost and within two years, Williams said, adding that "a penny saved is a penny earned" right now.