Wednesday, Dec. 9, 1998 | 11:11 a.m.
This time next year, Green Valley Ranch residents should be a lot closer to an on-duty police officer. So will those living in the Anthem and Seven Hills developments.
Ground is slated to be broken at noon Dec. 16 on Henderson's first police substation located at 300 S. Green Valley Parkway at Benji Drive, said Police Chief Tom Burns.
Plans for the substation surfaced three years ago after the American Nevada Corp., which developed Green Valley Ranch, donated 40 acres to the city for parks and recreation.
"It is an excellent location for us strategically, based on the growth of the area," Burns said. "With all the development going in there including Anthem, building a substation there puts officers where the people are going to be. Residents will see a quicker response time."
As the city's population increases so does the difficulty for officers trying to respond to the western half of the city from their headquarters downtown, according to Burns.
"It is harder and harder to travel out there," he said, adding it takes at least 20 minutes -- if not longer depending on traffic -- to reach the area of Eastern Avenue and Lake Mead Drive from police headquarters at 223 Lead St.
By cutting down on the commute time to the west area of the city, which can account for at least one hour in a patrol shift, officers will have more patrol time, Burns said.
The city's population estimates as of Oct. 1 showed a total of 163,290 residents, according to Brenda Fischer, spokeswoman for the city. She said that is an increase of almost 4,000 residents since July 1 -- or more than 1,300 residents moving into the city limits per month.
In response to the growing population, the city's police force has doubled in size in less than four years and the department has outgrown its parking and locker space in its 55,000-square-foot facility.
"We're overbooked," Burns said.
The department has 183 positions for sworn officers, seven of which are vacant and 18 of which are expected to be filled by those currently attending police academy.
The city increased its number of officers by nine in July and will be allowed to hire an additional nine officers come January, according to Burns.
The substation initially will house 60 of the city's current officers, but can be expanded to hold 125, according to Burns.
Burns said the substation is expected to be completed within eight months. "We hope to be in no later than October or November 1999," he said. The architects are Swisher and Hall AIA Ltd. of Las Vegas.
Residents can file police reports, purchase pet licenses and register guns at the substation. It also will have a multi-purpose room that can be used by residents, Burns said.
"We will have a desk officer just like we do downtown," he said.
Burns added that no prisoners will be housed in the facility.
"This is strictly and office building for uniformed patrol officers," Burns said.
Some nearby residents complained they didn't get a chance to speak out on plans for the 21,145-square-foot facility that will be built on 3.2 acres adjacent to a planned parks and recreation center.
The estimated $3.7 million construction costs for the 21-000-foot facility will come out of the city's general fund, Burns said.
Burns said the city worked with the Green Valley Ranch Homeowners Association to alleviate neighbors' concerns about the single-story facility. For example, they requested several changes including the building's color.
"It is now a better blend for the neighborhood," Burns said. "It is aesthetically pleasing."
Mayor James Gibson said at a recent meeting that the substation is the answer to residents' request for an increased police presence in Green Valley.
"We determined quite a long time ago that we were going to explore locations and build a police substation," he said. "We didn't have to go to a vote of the people, we could just build it and we felt very fortunate about that."
Despite the overall popularity of the concept, Gibson said that when public meetings were held those who showed up, however, were the neighbors who were less than pleased.
"It is a good example of when people get up in arms about something that is going to happen right next door to them," he said.
Gibson said some of neighbors' concerns included officers chirping their sirens to make sure they worked or gunning out of the parking lot to respond to a call.
"After all of our discussions, they still didn't want the thing there," he said.
But it has to go somewhere and, according to Burns, Green Valley Parkway at Benji is an optimum location.
The Green Valley Homeowners Association, although it had originally expressed concerns, particularly about not finding out about the project until it was almost ready for presentation to the City Council, now says the substation will be a welcome addition.
Richard Schmalz, president of the association, said Tuesday that police and city officials met with residents a couple of times and were "very helpful, very attentive" in working out the residents' concerns.
"But we're at a point now where we're looking forward to having the city of Henderson and the Henderson Police Department as neighbors," Schmalz said.
SUN CORRESPONDENT Valerie Miller contributed to this story.
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