$119.7M northwest EPS campus to open in March — two years late
Two years late and $12 million over its original budget, the new Northwest Edmonton Police Service Campus is complete and will open its doors in March.
A new roof on the $119.7-million building was completed in December. Leaks have plagued construction since 2017. There were consistent leaks found in different areas during freeze-thaw cycles each winter rendering the roof irreparable and forcing the city to change the design last spring with an $8-million replacement after 13 new leaks were discovered.
With the building now complete and no new leaks found, deputy police chief Darren Derko said the plan is to take possession of the 183,000-square-foot structure this month and move in throughout March.
The building just north of Anthony Henday Drive off 127 Street will serve as the new home for northwest division patrol officers as well as include a large recruit training centre and an arrest processing facility.
Derko said it's the 70 detainee cells that will provide the biggest benefit because that is currently lacking. This area will provide more space for those detained in the police station, which Derko said is crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It's going to be good because the cells we have, they can get overoccupied at times and with COVID-19 we'll be able to have lots of room,” he said. “If we have any prisoners in there, they will have their own holding area that will keep them safer, so that can't come too soon.”
As a result of the leaks and increased costs, the city is suing IBI Group Architects and other builders on the project for $8 million, alleging the roof “was designed and constructed in a defective and deficient manner.”
City spokeswoman Dorothy Wasak-reikie said litigation is ongoing and the city is seeking to recover all increased costs.
“The city feels strongly it be compensated for a roof that started leaking before the building was handed over to the city. Through litigation, we are seeking to recover all delay, repair and replacement costs,” she said in an email.
An audit of the construction project and what went wrong has been conducted by the city, but not released publicly.
The current northwest police station doesn't have a public service counter and is more like an office space, Derko said.
“I know a lot of those members are going to be quite excited,” he said. “We made do. We didn't have proper locker rooms and facilities though we were able to accommodate our needs, but it wasn't designed for the way we need it. So to be able to get into a facility that was especially designed for policing is quite exciting.”