Moncton's $57M police station under construction too small by 2044, report says
Consultant report suggests new building needs expansion by 2044 even if region sticks with RCMP
A new report suggests a $57-million police station under construction in Moncton will be too small within 20 years and need a multimillion-dollar expansion, even if the area stays with the RCMP.
Consultants reviewed the size of the building as part of a study looking at whether Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview should keep the RCMP or move to a new municipal force.
"The assessment indicates that the regional facility which is under construction is not appropriately sized to accommodate the 2044 projected service needs of either policing model, RCMP or municipal," says a report by Perivale + Taylor and Cornerstone released last week.
The new station on Albert Street is expected to be complete in 2025 and will replace a station on Main Street considered too small and rundown.
When construction was approved in 2021, Moncton councillors were told it was designed larger than currently needed to accommodate growth.
While it was known the building would be too small for a municipal force as it was designed for the RCMP — which have specialized units elsewhere — the report says it would also be too small for the RCMP in the future.
"While the facility has been designed to accommodate service growth (up to 394 people by year 2044), it is our opinion that the built infrastructure will not support such growth," the latest report states.
The report estimates it would require a 12 per cent expansion with the RCMP, or 41 per cent with a municipal force.
It says the amount of space per person as designed will be "low" compared to modern detachments and the parking area too small to accommodate a peak shift of 229 staff with 184 parking stalls.
"Overcrowding, department fragmentation and the use of off-site storage is probable in the future," the report states.
Moncton, overseeing construction of the station, says the difference comes down to different assumptions when determining how much space is needed.
CBC requested an interview with city staff about the planning for the new detachment, but no interview was provided.
"The facility currently under construction was designed to accommodate growth until 2044, based on the data available at the time the assessment was completed," Aloma Jardine, a spokesperson for the city, said in an email.
"Projections can change, depending on a number of factors. If there is a need for expansion in future, the facility could be expanded to the west or services could be accommodated via satellite offices."
Robert Taylor, a vice-president with Perivale + Taylor, told reporters last week that its report was based on projections that the force would expand with the region's population.
However, he emphasized they're only projections.
"You know, 20 years out, we really don't know," Taylor said. "But we have to be prudent and go with the projections. But it does give the opportunity for the plan to be modified."
Taylor said it allows time to consider options such as expansion of the new building, or satellite police offices in Dieppe or Riverview.
Riverview Mayor Andrew LeBLanc said the report's finding about the new station would be something they'd have to look at in the future.
"In terms of the specifics around 2044 and not being able to meet the needs of that growth, that will have to be an ongoing conversation and not one that we have had just yet," LeBlanc said in an interview Thursday. "So, a little early on that one."
Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold called the building "excellent" for the community and police.
"I would say that it is coming along to be a state-of-the-art building that is going to provide an excellent place for our police to work out of," Arnold said Thursday.
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