Guelph breaks ground on $34.1M police headquarters reno
A $34.1 million renovation project at police headquarters in Guelph is officially underway after local politicians stuck ceremonial shovels in the ground at the site of the expansion.
"This groundbreaking event is another step towards the completion of a modern police building that will enable us to better serve our community," Guelph Police Chief Jeff DeRuyter said in a release.
A public ceremony was held Thursday morning to mark the start of the project, which will see the headquarters gutted, the insides rebuilt, and two new wings added. The new east wing will include a main entrance and a community room off Wyndham Street, while the west wing will include indoor parking for the force's fleet.
Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie said the project has "tremendous community value that goes well beyond bricks and mortar."
Building 'dilapidated'
Council voted in 2014 to renovate, rather than replace, the current headquarters, which was built in 1960 and retrofitted in 1989.
Councillors were told that the roof was in need of repairs and that the police force needed more room. Al Horsman, the city's chief financial officer at the time, called the building "dilapidated."
The city has budgeted $34.1 million for the entire project, which is being carried out by Jasper Construction from Concord, Ont. The company submitted a bid of $25,890,000 before taxes.
Construction is expected to wrap up in the spring of 2019.