Community Celebrates Grand Reopening of Sheriff's Station (Photo Gallery)
More than 100 Altadena residents as well as several dignitaries gathered for the reopening of the "newest oldest" Sheriff's station in the county
By Justin Chapman, Altadena Patch, 9/25/2011
Fontanet Way was closed off Saturday afternoon as several dignitaries, dozens of Altadena residents and community leaders gathered for the ribbon cutting and grand reopening ceremony of the , which opened in 1927, underwent renovation starting in May 2010 and finished this month.With Capt. Steve McLean leading the proceedings, law enforcement officials and residents alike celebrated the oldest patrol station in the LA County Sheriff's Department. Members of the Altadena Town Council and both the Pasadena and Altadena NAACP, Sheriff Lee Baca, Supervisor Michael Antonovich, Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, Pasadena Unified Superintendent Jon Gundry, as well as officials from the California Highway Patrol, Pasadena Police Department and many others were in attendance for the historic event.
McLean told Patch that the renovation is good not only for the deputies who work there but also the community as well. He cited the expanded lobby, which includes public bathrooms and an information desk, as one example of a more patron-friendly station.
He also said that besides having an expanded dispatch and more dispatchers, they've been funded and are waiting for the updated technology for their 911 system. Once they have that in place they will be able to dispatch calls from the station itself instead of from the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station.
A Good Day
"It's good for the community, it's good for the deputies, and today's a good day," said McLean. "It's a culmination and an example of teamwork from dedicated community leaders and elected officials who wanted this station remodeled."
Both Sheriff Baca and Supervisor Antonovich credited former state Senator and Pasadena City College President Jack Scott, an Altadenan himself, for really getting the ball rolling on this $1.4 million renovation project.
During his remarks, Baca said he worked at the Altadena station from 1971-73, adding, "It goes to show that if you go through Altadena, good things will happen. This station needed a lot of tender love and care, and it got it."
Search and Rescue
Antonovich gave a proclamation to McLean and the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team on their 60th anniversary, and described some of the changes made to the station.
"This renovated station will better serve the community and improve the morale of the men and women who serve this department," said Antonovich.
Some of those changes include the fence around the parking lot which will protect the employees and vehicles, an upgraded electronic security monitoring system, a new female locker room, a new computer station, new wiring for the rescue radio system, new paint, flooring, windows, and outside landscaping, and updated modifications to the rescue trailer. The lobby and restrooms have been updated to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the dispatch center has been modified to expand the fully adjustable work stations, and the design of the lobby floor includes a depiction of the Sheriff's badge number 510 which belonged to fallen Altadena Deputy David Stout Larimer who was killed in December 1941.
Following the opening ceremony, the present dignitaries joined Baca and McLean as Antonovich cut the ribbon. Deputies who work out of the station gave public tours through the evening as actual inmates were being held in the cells, which are probably the only rooms not remodeled during the renovation project.