CALEXICO — The city’s public safety received boosts during the City Council’s regular meeting Tuesday night.
The council unanimously approved the Calexico Police Department’s purchase of a fully-equipped mobile command post from another police department.
Funding for the $100,000 purchase and $40,000 in outfitting will come from the Operation Stonegarden grant accepted in 2009.
Claremont is selling the mobile command post, which Calexico Police Chief Jim Neujahr described as in very good condition, in order to purchase a larger one.
Also, by purchasing it ready-made, time is saved by cutting out the bidding, designing, building and equipping processes.
The mobile command post will be used for a variety of functions including during disasters, special enforcement operations such as checkpoints, crime scenes and lost children searches.
Both the Calexico Police and Fire Departments will have access to the new piece of equipment. Calexico Fire Chief Pete Mercado said the mobile command center could greatly enhance the city’s emergency response capabilities.
About $500,000 remains unspent from the 2009 grant and must be spent before May 30 or it could be lost.
City Council also approved the application for a state of California Community Development Block Grant with most funds intended for badly needed repairs and upgrades to the Calexico Fire Station on Fifth Street and remaining funds for microbusiness enterprise assistance.
The grant application is for up to $1.6 million and about $1.22 million of that would be for the fire station.
Nobody spoke against the grant application during the public hearing held on the issue Tuesday, and Mercado spoke in favor of it, underscoring the station’s upgrade needs in relation to public safety.
City Council members agreed that the two decisions would help strengthen the public safety agencies and spoke in favor of continuing to seek additional funding for both manpower and facility upgrades or expansions.
Staff Writer Chelcey Adami can be reached at 760-337-3452 or cadami@ivpressonline.com
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