Sault Ste. Marie Police Service is anticipating that its new downtown substation — officially known as Division 2 — will finally open April 1 after experiencing some delays.
Located at 180 Brock St., the police substation was expected to be fully functional by the end of summer or early fall of last year, as part of an effort to increase the police service's presence and strengthen community safety in the city's downtown core.
Earlier this week, Insp. Derek Dewar informed members of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Services Board that Jobst Brothers Construction had recently been contracted to perform interior renovations on the building.
“We’re anticipating April 1, provided there’s no supply issues or anything — you know, with the tariffs and stuff — that could cause a setback. Hopefully not,” said Dewar, during a brief update provided to board members Tuesday.
“Right now, the contractor is online for end of March, beginning of April.”
Approximately 8,000 square feet of space at 180 Brock St. will be used by the police service, which is leasing the former social services building from The Rector and Wardens of St. Luke’s Cathedral Sault Ste. Marie and The Incorporated Synod of The Diocese of Algoma for $80,000 per year on a 10-year lease agreement.
Once work is completed on the building, Division 2 will house the traffic and canine units, the collision reporting centre, Sault Ste. Marie Crime Stoppers and Victim Services of Algoma.
Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Chief Hugh Stevenson told reporters following Tuesday’s board meeting that the delays were due to logistical issues.
“It was totally due to just how quick you can build a building in this city,” he said. “I mean, there are certain timelines, so we did our best to get architects in, and there’s a timeline for the procurement of contractors.”
But Stevenson also noted that Division 2 — which was expected to be a $3.6-million commitment spread out over four years when it was unveiled to the public last summer — had a couple of issues that needed to be addressed before Sault Ste. Marie Police Service took possession of the leased space.
The police chief declined to elaborate on what exactly those issues were.
“I don’t want to be saying negative things,” Stevenson told reporters. “The facility, when we received it, was good to go.”
On Tuesday, the police services board approved a motion to reallocate $388,000 of unused funds for renovations to Division 2 contained in the 2024 budget back into the capital reserve fund, with the intention of earmarking that same amount for the renovations in this year’s budget.