For many of his 14 years as Redding’s police chief, Bob Blankenship complained about the cramped, leaky and deteriorating condition of the police station on California Street.
On Tuesday, he was smiling wide as he cut the ribbon and welcomed people in to the new $7.4 million Robert P. Blankenship Police Facility.
Bob Blankenship is joined by the Redding City Council in the ribbon-cutting ceremony
Under a blazing sun that had most of the attendees seeking scarce patches of shade, Mayor Francie Sullivan started the dedication ceremony by noting that it’s rare for the city of Redding to name a building after an individual.
But Blankenship, she said, is a rare individual.
Mayor Francie Sullivan at the podium
Redding Police Chief Rob Paoletti, the latest department head forced to make do with a rickety, unsafe building with bad plumbing, said Tuesday was “a long-awaited day by this department, and you can tell that by the number of retirees that came out today.”
The station “will represent a standard of excellence by the Redding Police Department that was exemplified by Chief Blankenship,” Paoletti said. After reviewing Blankenship’s tenure with the city, which included 30 years in the police department, Paoletti referred to the new station as “the house that Bob built.”
It’s so big an honor it’s hard to wrap my mind around it,” Blankenship said. “Words can’t express my gratitude.” The suggestion to name the station after Blankenship was made in April by City Council member Missy McArthur.
Redding Police Chief Rob Paoletti, left, and Blankenship on a tour of the new facility
The station is located west of the Civic Center on the property that used to house the Saturday morning Farmers’ Market. When completed in early July, it will house the patrol division, records technicians, administrative staff and police supervisors. Investigations and administration offices will be across the way in the Civic Center space recently vacated by Redding Electric Utility.
Designed by the Redding architectural firm of Nichols, Melburg & Rosetto, the station is not likely to draw much criticism for being opulent. It has a modern and clean look, but also Spartan and functional.
It is still a vast improvement over a police station that featured a failing roof and clogged pipes that occasionally caused sewage to spill into work areas.
Photos by Jon Lewis.
Jon Lewis is a freelance writer living in Redding. He has more than 30 years experience writing for newspapers and magazines. Contact him at jonpaullewis@gmail.com.
