Board of Supervisors approves Riverside County sheriff's use of permanent hangar at March Air Reserve Base

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved Sheriff Chad Bianco's plans to turn an aircraft hangar at March Air Reserve Base into a permanent place of operation for the sheriff's department. 

Bianco's request will allocate $655,255, all drawn from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's fiscal year budget, to architectural, design and engineering services provided by C&S Engineers Inc., a San Diego-based firm.

It was approved 5-0 without comment from any board members. 

The facility will be enough to house three aircraft and will sit on the southeast end of the airfield close to the Million Air Hanger on Hancock Street. 

The department currently operations from Jacquelin Cochran Airport in Thermal and Hemet-Ryan Airport. 

"The MARB Joint Powers Authority property has been identified as the most strategic location, as it is the closest airport to central Riverside, the sheriff's office headquarters, and it is vital for quick responses to critical calls," RSO's statement said. 

Current designs call for 20 workstations, 10 offices, a gym, a break room, outdoor fuel tanks, restrooms, locker rooms, a parking lot and security fencing encompassing the property. 

C&S Engineers will be responsible for reviewing previous assessments from environmental impact reports and to ensure that the current constructions is in compliance with state and federal laws or requires a new EIR, officials said.