Saugeen Shores Police Headquarters Construction Begins

Construction has officially begun on the new headquarters for the Saugeen Shores Police headquarters per Blackburn News. This will be a new $6.8 million facility on MacKenzie Road at the north end of Port Elgin. The new building will be one block from the old building which was built just over 15 years ago. Mayor Mike Smith, who was there for the ground breaking, stated that the municipality is booming and more space was needed for the police department. 

"This is the fastest growing community in Bruce County. We've grown substantially since restructuring in 1998 and 1999. The needs of the community also grow with that. And with that, we need a modern police headquarters to deal with the issues with our police service and our community."

Mayor | Mike Smith

Police Chief Mike Bellai said that even though his officers had learned to adapt to the cramped conditions at the old building, the new building is designed to ensure there's room to grow if needed. 

Chief Bellai stated that construction crews have been on-site for a few weeks and the foundation has already been poured. Completion is expected to be in late 2019 or early 2020.

 Saugeen Shores Mayor Mike Smith [left, with shovel] and Saugeen Shores Police Service Board Chair Luke Charbonneau [right, with shovel] turn the sod for the new Saugeen Shores Police Service headquarters in Port Elgin. (Photo by Jordan Mackinnon)

"A building like this is designed so that on this spot, it can actually grow if it needs to in the future by adding on to this spot, so that we're not in the situation we're in now that we have to go to a different site. To have the proper facility is very important."

Police Chief | Mike Bellai

According to Bayshore Broadcasting, the old police building was only 6,000 square feet but the new building will be quite a bit larger at close to 15,000 square feet and is on land where building expansion can take place if necessary. Police Chief Bellai has stated that the project is on time and on budget.

Per Country 93, the project was awarded to Allen-Hastings Limited of Owen Sound. Council had approved a special levy for the building, starting with the first installment in 2019. It's expected cost per tax roll will be about $60 annually for 20 years, although it could decrease as roll numbers increase.