Completion of Guelph police HQ renovations pushed back to spring 2020

The competition date of the renovations at the Guelph police headquarters has been pushed back again.

The $34.1 million project is not expected to be completed until spring 2020, a year after its originally planned completion date.

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The renovations broke ground in April 2016 and at that time it was pegged to be completed in spring 2019, but after some delays, the city announced last year it would be pushed back to the end of 2019.

Deputy Chief Paul Martin confirmed on Thursday that “substantial completion” will not happen until next year.

“Currently we are waiting for partial occupancy of the west end of the building and then we will be able to move staff in and vacate the centre part for the final stage of renovations in that area,” he said in an email.

He stressed that the project remains on budget.

The delays were first announced in July 2018 when the city said a number of factors came into play including time lost due to winter weather conditions, and more extensive bedrock than testing suggested.

A report going to the Guelph Police Services Board on Thursday said the project manager is working with consultants and the general contractor to determine the schedule for the final phase of renovations.

When completed, the headquarters would more than double in size with the addition of west and east wings.

The west wing is four storeys high with two floors dedicated to police fleet parking and another floor for office space.

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The east wing houses the new main entrance on Wyndham Street which has already opened to the public.

The headquarters were first built in 1959 and was renovated in 1989 with the addition of a wing on the west side.