Kamloops council committee votes to prepare $150.7M borrowing bylaw for new police headquarters

Detachment 'long overdue'

A proposed $150.7 million project to build a new police headquarters on Battle Street got a nod of approval from a Kamloops committee Tuesday — although the price tag was concerning for some around the council table.

During a committee of the whole meeting, council members voted 8-1 in favour of drafting a borrowing bylaw for a new police services building. The committee also was in favour of giving the project an immediate $100,000 funding boost for procurement.

RCMP Supt. Jeff Pelley told reporters after the vote that he felt the project team had done an “exceptional job” to outline what Mounties’ needs are, and what needs to be done to move ahead.

“This has been long overdue. We’re 25 years, as you know, since this building actually needed to be addressed,” Pelley said.

“I think it's progress. And we really look forward to the next steps and acquiring a more suitable facility for a growing community of this size, as well as a growing police department and municipality.

The project involves constructing a new five-storey, 120,700 square-foot building to the immediate west of the existing detachment on Battle Street.

Once construction is finished, RCMP equipment and staff will be moved in and the existing brick detachment will be demolished. A special parking structure will be built at that location to meet police fleet requirements.

The new building would allow Kamloops Mounties to function until 2058 — about 30 years after construction.

Another AAP in the works?

The City of Kamloops will need to borrow up to $150.7 million for the project, and Kamloops residents will need to grant their approval for the borrowing to take place.

This will be done through a referendum or alternative approval process.

Coun. Katie Neustaeter asked what kind of work had been done to reduce the price of the police services building, noting the city is juggling “multiple significant projects.”

“I would love to put you guys in a Cadillac. If that was an option, that would be fantastic, but I am more inclined toward a minivan — and that’s generally what Kamloops prefers, as well,” Neustaeter said.

“I would just like to put that question back. What has been taken off to make it more affordable for those who'll be footing the bill, and what still could be done?”

Matt Kachel, City of Kamloops infrastructure delivery divisional manager, said nothing in the project is “gold plated,” and a staged approach to the renovation will aim to keep costs down.

He noted that the project had come together with input from RCMP’s E-Division.

Pelley said Mounties at a local and divisional level have been engaged with the the city to work on the building concept.

“I believe that we’ve fulfilled what is necessary for our operations and the administration and the function of the building to the best of its capability,” Pelley said.

“As we start to get into more intricate details, there might be adds or removals we can certainly examine, but this is not, by all means, saying that we built a Cadillac version here. It’s what’s required for that appropriate service delivery.”

Mayor alone in opposition

Kachel said the $100,000 in procurement funding would go towards putting together a comprehensive team to design the facility.

“It'll be one of the most advanced buildings in the city,” he said, adding with the project delivery model used in this proposed build, qualified specialists will be chosen to be part of a team getting the new detachment off the ground.

Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson was the lone council vote in opposition to moving the borrowing bylaw forward.

Hamer-Jackson wanted staff to look at other properties for the proposed build, and said he wanted to see a “Cadillac model” for the RCMP, but funded in large part by other levels of government.

Staff told him the properties he was suggesting weren’t viable for this project, and that they aren’t opposed to seeking government grants but they might not be available, and a commitment to the project is required to find other sources of funding.

Photo: City of Kamloops

A rendering of the proposed police services building on Battle Street.