Completion of new RCMP detachment in Moncton pushed back

A new detachment for the Codiac RCMP in Monctonwon't be finished until 2022, two years later than the original target.

The committee working on the new building has not yet nailed down a location or called forarchitectural plans, Ross MacKaytold fellow members of the CodiacRegional Policy Authority on Thursday night.

The authority had hoped to see construction start this September and the building occupied by 2020.

"Going out to get architectural services to design a building, that process can take 12 to 14 months," MacKaysaid.

A lot of decisions ahead

"Then there's a bidding process for the actual construction of the building and the construction to take place, which is guesstimated at 18 to 24 months altogether."

MacKayis on the building committee for the new detachment, which met with the councils of Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe earlier this week.

A lot of decisions still need to be made, he said.

Nodecision has been made about the financing of the building, which will likely be owned by the City of Moncton, MacKay said, with Dieppe andRiverviewsharing in the costs.

"We haven't locked down a location yet," he said. "We have some parameters that are being considered, but the actual location has not been settled."

Employees eager

Supt. Tom Critchlow of the Codiac RCMP said employees are excited about the project to replace the detachment building on Main Street.

"We look forward to working with the design team and providing the information that they will require," he told the policing authority.

"We have a special projects team out of Halifax who manage these types of projects with their expertise. So exciting times."

Critchlow worked at Codiac several years ago and said there was buzz about the project even then.

"When I was here before, in 2009, and conversations even prior to that about the new building, the possibility of a new building and it seemed so far away," he said. "Now we're actually seeing traction being made so it's really encouraging."

Councils to look at options

MacKay said the building committee's role is to present options for the project tothe three councils, whichwill make the decisions.

"These discussions will include such tasks as hiring a project manager to oversee the project, finalizing the land purchase, completing the design and engineering aspects of the project, and of course the awarding of the construction contract."

Even though the project won't hit itsoriginal timeline, he said it's too important to rush.

"We're going to have this building for 25 to 30 years. We have to do it right and we have to do it responsibly."