Size and location of new Moncton RCMP detachment undecided

The size and location of a new detachment for theCodiacRCMPis still up in the air, according to a new report.

An update on the process was presentedThursdaynight by the building committee at a meeting of theCodiacRegional Policing Authority.

Monctoncity council voted in April to approve Bird Construction/Terra Trust, Ellis Don Corporation and theAshfordGroup as the bidders for the contract on the new building.

• Moncton pushes ahead with plan for new RCMP station

DonMacLellan, general manager of community safety services,said the three proponents are now waiting for instructions on the size and the shape of the building.

And while MHPM, the project management company, came up with some ideas at the beginning of the process, those are expected to change, he said.

We really won't know the real cost of the building until we get the [request for proposal]out into the market and get the bids back.- DonMacLellan, general manager of community safety services

"TheRCMPare submitting their views on the size and shape of the space, right down to what size are the offices, what common space do we need what meeting space do we need?" he said.

"We'll check that against the previousMHPMprevious information we have and using some professional assistance we'll test and pull and tug at those numbers and make sure we have an accurate view of the size and shape not only for what we needtomorrowbut what we need in 15 or 20 years into the future."

MacLellan added that the cost of the project is also not etched in stone. The estimated price tag is$45 million.

"We really won't know the real cost of the building until we get the [request for proposal]out into the market and get the bids back," he said.

Size is a challenge

In April, city councillor and formerRCMPofficer Bryan Butler said he agreed with the need for a new station but thought the proposed size of 64,400 square feet was excessive.

On Thursday, Charles Savoie, director of policing support services, saidpicking the right size for the building is a challenge but one the RCMP has faced repeatedly inbuilding other detachments across the country.

Standards for everything from the size of officesto the number ofcells requiredhaschanged since the project started, he said.

"I guess the biggest difference for this project is we used the 2009 standards at the beginning because that was what was available to [the project management company]," he said.

"And now the 2016 standards are out so we're hopeful that that will mean a smaller building, if possible, going forward."

As for the location of the new detachment, Savoie said no decisionwasmade.

That's part of the request for proposals, he said.

"The proponents propose certain sites and they get evaluated as all the other elements."

The report said construction willbegin in September 2018and the building is expected to be occupied by September 2020.