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Talks pick up to build new Flin Flon RCMP station, feds approve funding and site

Flin Flon is on the shortlist for a new police station and key details of the plan have been made public.
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Flin Flon is on the shortlist for a new police station and key details of the plan have been made public.

Online tenders placed by the RCMP and Public Works and Government Services Canada show plans to build new police detachments in three Manitoba communities - Morris, Shoal Lake and Flin Flon.

“There is an operational need for the new RCMP detachment facilities in Flin Flon, Shoal Lake, and Morris, Manitoba,” reads a publicly available 194-page RCMP project brief.

According to the project brief, funding for the Flin Flon project has already been approved - the current estimated construction cost of a new Flin Flon RCMP station has been pegged at about $7.6 million, not including applicable taxes or administration costs. Funds are not yet approved for the Morris and Shoal Lake projects.

“At this time, Flin Flon detachment has been approved for design and construction,” reads the brief.

The RCMP and procurement services are currently looking for a consultant to oversee the project, which would cover placement of the new station and covered secure parking for police vehicles including cars, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and other vehicles.

“The consultant will provide a full consultant team including the required expertise in architecture, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, landscaping, project costing, scheduling, building/fire code analysis, and commissioning,” reads the brief.

According to posted documents, planning for a Flin Flon new detachment will commence upon the rewarding of a contract and construction will take place on site, not involving a prefabricated building being transported to Flin Flon. The new station, according to the project brief, is currently slated to be 676 gross square metres in size. An environmental report for the site will be given to the successful tender bidder.

The specific site mentioned in the tendering process for Flin Flon is located at 54 degrees, 46 minutes and seven seconds north latitude and 101 degrees, 52 minutes and 46 seconds west longitude. Those coordinates put the proposed location of the new police station at the vacant lot between the Hudbay compound and the Primary Health Care Centre and Flin Flon Community Hall.

“The lot is a previously developed but currently unoccupied property located in the downtown area of the community. The site was a part of a larger area that was used for housing by the prior owner,” reads a separate publicly available solicitation amendment for the site.

“The site itself exhibits soil constituent properties typical of the region. There are common procedures for construction in the community that need to be followed and will be noted in the specifications and design documents.”

Plenty of work still needs to be done before any construction begins. No start date has been announced and the offering has been extended to March 30.

In an interview with The Reminder this past January, Flin Flon RCMP Sgt. Mark Svaren said the detachment was on the list for a new police station, adding that the cells at the current detachment office on Hapnot Street have not been usable for almost a decade. With the detachment unable to keep prisoners at the Flin Flon station, Flin Flon RCMP have used the cells at the newer Creighton RCMP detachment to keep prisoners.

“The cellblock in Flin Flon has not been fully functional since 2012 as due to the age and construction of the cells themselves, they no longer meet the safety requirements set for holding prisoners. All Flin Flon prisoners are lodged at Creighton detachment with costs for Flin Flon prisoners billed back to Flin Flon Detachment,” Svaren said in January.

“Flin Flon detachment is on the list for a new building and planning for this is very much underway.”

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