Dignitaries from the town of Half Moon Bay and San Mateo County law enforcement on Tuesday unveiled the renovated San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Transformer Station on Kelly Avenue. It’s a facility that city officials said needed work long before upgrades were approved in 2018.
Located next to the Ted Adcock Community Center, within the Shoreline Station parking lot, the Transformer Station was originally built in 1986 and housed the former Half Moon Bay Police Department before the city dissolved it and contracted with county law enforcement.
Complaints about the station, plagued by dry rot and leaky pipes, continued for decades. The city formally put its Sheriff’s Substation Renovation Project into the budget four years ago. In total, the city paid a little more than $ 249,000 for construction costs.
A recent briefing inside the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and substation on Kelly Avenue in Half Moon Bay on April 12, 2022. Adam Pardee / Review
There are several improvements to the building, including new walls, bulletproof transaction windows, a new water heater, floor and ceiling tiles, electrical upgrades and changing rooms, and bathroom renovations to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Mayor Debbie Ruddock described the Transformer Station as an “important community asset” that provides a center for local law enforcement and a multifunctional facility for the city and the Sheriff’s Activities League.
“I was on the city council back in the 1990s, and this building was in trouble at the time,” Ruddock said. “Hopefully, the changes we’re making right now will last us a while.”
The transformer station was closed for almost two months earlier this year to allow for construction. During that period, deputies moved into the city’s Emergency Operations Center, which is located in the same building. The renovated building contains a private interview room for suspects and victims and can have up to eight employees on any given day.
“I look forward to the future where we can continue to build trust between law enforcement and those we serve,” said Sheriff Carlos Bolanos. “Events like this ribbon ceremony are a great way for me and my staff to spend time with you and build relationships that will have a lasting, positive effect.”