Questions over new proposed police station

City council largely supports the idea of Regina Police Service taking over the old STC bus station, but there are questions.

“I’m still on the fence about this, even though I want to see it go before council,” Coun. Andrew Stevens said.

The price tag for the project is $37 million. City administration wants to see that money come from reserves.

“This is why we have reserves, to seize opportunities,” Mayor Michael Fougere said. “In this case we have an opportunity literally to respond within 45 days.”

Stevens said he’s not convinced the purchase of a building using reserves will mean savings.

“It’s all premised on the assumption that we would have otherwise spent $140 million on a new police headquarters. Should we? Did I agree to that? Is that something that council has kind of renewed? No,” he said.

The city could finance the deal, which would cost $43 million over 15 years or the equivalent of a 1.5 per cent mill rate increase.

“I’m hoping that the public is a bit more engaged in this and asks these questions: what’s going to happen to the reserves? How are we going to replenish them? Is this what people want?” Stevens said.

City administration estimates the cost of a new facility at $140 million, which is $100 million more than the cost of purchasing and renovating the bus depot.

According to a report by city administration, the bus station and its parking lots were appraised at $16.2 million. However, the province said it appraised the building and parking lots at $10 million.

Council will discuss the potential STC bus depot purchase further on Nov. 27.

If approved, planning and design for the new building is expected to start next year, and it should be mostly finished by early 2020.