The Placer County Sheriff’s Department is eyeing 2010 as the year they will get a new building to replace their decaying one in Tahoe City, which is nearly 50 years old.

“The building is old and worn down,” Placer County Sheriff’s Tahoe Captain Jeff Granum said of the building that was constructed for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley.

Granum said his staff has outgrown the space, which currently houses dispatch, detectives, administration, a jail, storage and the courthouse. He also said that current technology has also outgrown the facility, with “lots of conduit and wires” visible throughout the building. Because of outdated electrical wiring, the building experiences frequent electricity outages, he said.

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There is no room for patrol deputies at the Burton Creek site in Tahoe City, Granum said, so the department leases a building in Carnelian Bay for the deputies. Once the new building is complete, all the departments will be housed in Burton Creek.

The job of a sheriff’s deputy has also changed in 50 years, with deputies having to complete more detailed reports, Granum said.

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“We physically don’t have adequate storage space for police reports,” Granum said.

The new facility will be built behind the current Burton Creek building. Once the new building is occupied, the old one will be torn down, Granum said. Covered parking will also be added for search and rescue equipment like trailers and snowmobiles.

The $30 million structure will also have the capability to house up to 30 low-security inmates, Granum said. Placer’s capital improvements department is overseeing the project and has funds to build.

The county is currently in the planning and design phase of the project. Granum said he hopes to have the new building occupied by late 2010, but the permit process could delay that date.

The current building is undergoing renovation to sustain operations. Workers are removing asbestos, putting in new carpet and freshening up with paint. Granum said there have been “layers and layers of repairs” found during the renovation, which should be completed by the end of the month.

“With our repairs, although it is a temporary measure, it will be more efficient,” Granum said. “It should look a lot more professional. It will be a pleasant place to work until the new building is in place.”