Waterloo police are planning to build a three-story, $173 million communications centre in Cambridge that will connect them directly with fire and ambulance services.
The new Public Safety Communications Centre (PSCC) is designed to link up emergency responders and will be the biggest construction project for the police service for many years.
The approved plan calls for a 75,000 sq. ft., three-floor building located on the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) campus on Maple Grove Road.
The police service board also considered a smaller option-a 50,000 sq. ft. building-but ultimately decided the larger facility made more sense.
This PSCC project is part of an updated Facilities Master Plan.
The total cost is expected to be just over $173 million; however, this could go down by roughly $23 million because some other projects can be delayed thanks to the extra space in this bigger building.
Karen Redman, who’s both Vice Chair of the Police Board and Regional Chair, praised the plan during Wednesday’s meeting.
“I know we’ve talked about green space and parking, but I think over time I’ve also come to realize the proximity of the communications centre and other facilities are really part of this design proposal,” said Redman at the board meeting on Wednesday.
According to WRPS staff, every month this project gets pushed back adds about $440 thousand in costs because of inflation.
