SLO County to spend $33 million on new probation department building. This is why

San Luis Obispo County will spend more than $33 million on a new Probation Department facility to replace its current 83-year-old building.

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the contract to design and build the probation department’s new home at its meeting on Tuesday.

The 30,000 square-foot facility will be built on Bishop Street, down the road from the department’s old office — the Casa Loma facility, according to a news release from the SLO County Public Works Department.

“I am very appreciative of the Board of Supervisors’ support for the new probation building,” SLO County Chief Probation Officer Robert Reyes said in the release. “The new building will address long-time needs for employees and allow the department to better serve the community.”

The board awarded the $33,296,693 design-build contract to F&H Construction, based in Lodi, the agency said.

Built in 1941, the Casa Loma facility “needs constant repair, is short on space, and is ill-suited for today’s Probation Department needs,” the news release said.

Construction on the agency’s new facility will start in 2024, after a nine-month “design and permitting process,” the agency said.

“It will be built to meet quality standards including energy efficient, security, and technology features to allow the Probation Department to serve this county for decades to come,” Robert Ruiz, SLO County project delivery division manager, said in the release.