by Castanet Staff - Jul 27, 2008
Construction on the new Westside RCMP detachment is expected to begin near the end of August. The 16,000 square foot building, on the site of the Westbank Chamber of Commerce, will replace the current 2,000 square foot space the RCMP currently occupy. The Regional District purchased the land for the new building in 2005. The cost of the project, initially pegged at just over $8.2 million, is now estimated to cost $8.8 million. Rising construction costs account for most of the additional $600,000. Mike Hickman with Omicron, designers of the building, says a firm budget will be established once all tenders have been awarded in early August. He adds the hot local construction market has created some challenges in getting qualified bidders for some of the construction work. "There are fewer bidders available because many of them are busy and it often reduces the number of preferred bidders because obviously preferred bidders tend to be busier than non-preferred bidders," says Hickman. "The available bidders then pick the work they want to do and exclude the work they don't."
The new detachment will not include cells, meaning individuals arrested in Westside will still be transported to jail cells in the main Kelowna detachment. The building has been designed to allow for the inclusion of cells at a later date. Acting Mayor, Duane Ophus, says he's pleased progress is being made on the building. "We'd like to see things move along a little bit quicker, but it seems to be coming together now," says Ophus. "If this comes back to council in August, I think we'll be able to make a decision that we can move forward on." No date has been announced for completion.
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Don Quixote Note: This estimate works out to $550 per sq. ft. and does not include cells at this time although building will be designed for later inclusion. This is up from the $512.50 per sq. ft. initial projection
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