New regional policing facility
Background
The current station on Main Street was built in the 1970s when Moncton had a much smaller-scale police force.
Fast forward to the 1990s, when the local police force was converted to a tri-community force, offered by what is now known as the Codiac Regional RCMP (serving Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview).
As the area’s population grew, so did the needs of the community and, by extension, the number of officers and civilian staff.
Around 2010, discussions began on the topic of renovating/expanding the existing facility, or building a new one.
Chronology
The process was initiated in 2012, when a firm was hired to conduct a feasibility study. Since then, there have been many checkpoints and milestones with Moncton City Council – in fact, elected officials were consulted or informed of progress multiple times since 2013.
Some highlights, as well as next steps, are outlined in the timeline document found in the ‘Resources’ section to the right.
Current building
There are numerous challenges with the current building, including:
- The building is currently at electrical capacity.
- The building does not meet post-disaster requirements.
- The building has suffered from multiple leaks and floods, leading to significant water infiltration throughout the building.
- The building lacks sufficient space and critical components of policing operations, such as the Operations Command Centre (OCC Dispatch), have been required to move off-site until a new building is constructed.
- It was built over 40 years ago for a single police force (before policing was a regional service for Moncton, Riverview, and Dieppe).
- The safety of both employees and individuals detained for arrest is at risk.
- Numerous building code deficiencies have been identified.
Project cost
Clearly, a new policing facility isn’t a regular construction project. Beyond stringent security guidelines to follow, the work that will happen here is specialized, therefore has unique needs. Some examples include the construction materials that must be used in certain areas of the building, and the technical nature of some products. This type of specialty construction can be much different than typical commercial construction.
Budgeted components
$57.2M = total project cost estimate
- Land acquisition
- Site remediation and preparation
- Professional services (i.e. architectural/engineering firms, project management, testing and geotechnical services)
- Construction costs and appropriate contingencies
- Furniture and fixtures
- Information technology systems
- Security System components
- Legal Fees
- Public Art component
- HST costs
All companies hired to execute work were selected through public procurement processes. This will also be the case for the construction of the building itself.
Budget
On March 21, 2022, Moncton City Council awarded the tender for the construction of the Codiac regional policing facility. A total of five compliant tender submissions were received for this project and the lowest bid was awarded.
The total project cost, including the construction tender awarded, is $57,177,130 (less than the estimated value of $57,223,626 as updated in the fall of 2021). The full cost breakdown is as follows:
Budget Item | Cost |
Professional Services Fees | $5,324,283 |
Facility Construction | $40,839,575 |
Other Costs (furniture and fixtures, IT equipment, security equipment, soft costs, land purchase and remediation, contingency allowance) | $8,702,841 |
HST = 4.286% | $2,310,611 |
TOTAL PROJECT COST | $57,177,310 |
Construction update (May 2024)
- The project is 65 per cent complete and is currently on budget.
- Phase 1(west wing, part nearest to Vaughan Harvey Boulevard):
- plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, controls conduit and wiring, fire protection, and electrical rough-in nearing completion
- concrete block installation complete
- drywall installation underway
- Phase 2(east wing):
- mechanical, electrical, life safety systems, and controls work in progress
- interior blockwork placement nearing completion and metal stud framing underway
- Phase 3(atrium located between the wings)
- concrete slab and roof in place
- Roof placement nearly complete.
- A tender has been approved for property management services.
- Substantial completion is on track for March 2025 and the facility should be ready for occupancy in summer 2025.
Public art
Council has approved a proposal from Brian J. Francis and Jean Hudson for an outdoor public art piece at the facility. The piece, entitled Spirit of Reconciliation, includes a powder coated steel and iron sculpture in the shape of a birch bark canoe. The canoe will have Indigenous image cutouts and will be lit from within so the sculpture is highly visible at night.
What’s next?
- Furniture procurement tender scheduled for late May 2024
- Award contract for move management services
- Acoustic and indoor air quality testing
- Updates to Albert Street, including adding a left turning lane onto Assomption Boulevard, a new concrete sidewalk on both sides from the facility to Assomption Boulevard, and a new asphalt trail along Assomption Boulevard from Albert Steet to Vaughan Harvey Boulevard
- Development of project educational component
As the project progresses, residents are encouraged to refer back here regularly for updates and milestones.