A major decision will soon come before Thunder Bay city council, to the tune of roughly $55-million.
The Police Services Board approved Tuesday morning asking for a new police headquarters, to replace the Balmoral Street facility.
Consultant John Stevenson suggests, should council approve this, construction could start next spring. “The typical design timeline for a project of this complexity, would be around 12 months, at a minimum. That’s an aggressive timeline, it might take longer, it could also be done quicker.”
The consultants adds for sake of workmanship, construction not be rushed.
Police Board member Michael Power noted many compelling reasons for city council to consider.
“The physical infrastructure of our holding cells are about 70-years-old. We’re likely one of the only communities of our size in the country that relies on a key lock system. Imagine a fire in that facility in the absence of fire suppression systems,” said Power.
He also pointed out while the Balmoral Street headquarters look good from the outside, that changes on the inside.
“You are in a deplorable state. Quite literally this facility is crumbling around them, the membrane on the facility is crumbling. On any given day, you can see buckets in terms of the water that it’s catching from outside,” he says.
The Police Board noted this is the better option over rebuilding the existing station.
