So Close / Memo to the SKF Faithful
Date: 01/30/2023
Subject: Police Station Location
From: The Ad Hoc Design Desk
Trailers in Kensington?
For many Kensingtonians the four portable modular building being used to house the temporary Kensington Police Department in El Cerrito are looked upon as “trailers”. Oh my…
As you might expect in our serene hillside hamlet, “trailers” are not the image Kensington wishes to present to the world. It is bad enough that they are “trailers” and to make matters worse, they are located in the dreaded City of El Cerrito. Why me Lord?
The quasi-residential architectural style of the existing Public Safety Building is the image Kensington’s bürgermeisters seem to prefer. Could that be why they have resisted all logic and facts, continuing to insist the Kensington Police Department and the Kensington Fire Department can be housed in the remodeled PSB?
There have been some suggestions of moving the modular buildings to a site in Kensington for a permanent police station. One such location the Kensington Police Protection & Community Service District has considered is the parking lot near the Community Center in the park. Beside the image problem, there just are not many available or suitable locations in Kensington.
By thinking “outside-the-box”, there is a solution.
Locate the police department’s modular buildings on the Unitarian Church property once the Kensington Fire Department moves back into the remodeled PSB. The site already has the costly power, plumbing and communication lines in place. The site has been improved, graded and there is also space for secure parking. A clear win/win for the KPPCSD and Kensington tax payers.
The location is actually in El Cerrito, only inches away from the border with Kensington. By making use of this location so close to upper Kensington, we could solve the image problem of “trailers” in Kensington. And more importantly, save a ton of money too!
Thus Kensington is trailer-free, and Bob is your uncle!
“Location, location, location.” (Harold Samuel)
Note: Satire alert, exploring options to house first responders could lead to El Cerrito.