Roof on new police campus to be replaced

A new roof expected to cost $8 million will be required on the brand new northwest police campus before the building opens as a result of leaks in the last two years.

Initially expected to be operational in early 2019, the Edmonton Police Service will have to wait even longer to get into the 183,000-square-foot facility off 127 Street, the city said in a report to council posted Thursday.

Expected cost for the new roof is now $119.65 million and the city is requesting council approval for the funding through tax-supported debt to pay for the replacement. The initial cost of the roof was anticipated to be $107.65 million.

Mayor Don Iveson commented briefly on the matter Thursday, saying the city will look to recover all excess costs through litigation.

Council already approved a $4.6-million increase to the project budget last October to repair the roof, but there is only $1.5 million remaining in the budget.

Leaks in the roof were first discovered in December 2017 and repairs haven’t withstood the freezethaw cycles each winter.

This winter, there were leaks in areas that weren’t previously repaired causing significant amounts of water to seep into the building, the city said in its report.

“In March 2020, further testing was done in areas of the building roof that were actively leaking. Based on the findings of this testing, the entire roof needs to be replaced,” the report said.

The city has previously filed a lawsuit against 30 companies involved in the construction of the building seeking $8 million for repairs and compensation for the delay.

Police continue to work out of existing facilities and the city said the two parties are working on a possible staged move-in approach.

No timeline was given on construction of the new roof.