Moncton keeps latest cost for RCMP station under wraps as construction delayed

The City of Moncton, N.B., won't say how much a new Codiac Regional RCMP station is now expected to cost, and a decision on whether to go ahead with the multimillion dollar project has been bumped to later this year.

The delay moves the decision to be handled by the council elected next month. Timelines have changed on the project and its cost has risen in recent years. In 2018, the new building was expected to be open by September 2020. However, now it's looking like 2024 at the earliest.

The city's 2021 budget includes a cost of $46 million for the building, a figure that predates increases in construction material costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Councillors were given the latest cost estimate April 12 in a closed-door meeting, but staff wouldn't reveal the figure during a public update Monday.

"I'm not afraid to tell the public that it's going to be more than $46 million," Coun. Paul Pellerin said Monday, without offering a more specific figure.

City manager Marc Landry told reporters the city doesn't want to give potential bidders a sense of the new internal estimate before putting a tender out to market.

"That would not necessarily be in the best interests of the taxpayers if that detailed estimate is released to the construction industry beforehand," Landry said.

The city and Codiac Regional Policing Authority have previously provided updates. In 2017, CBC News reported the cost rose from an estimated $43.4 million if built in 2019 to $46 million if built in 2020.

Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold, who is seeking re-election, didn't directly answer when asked if voters should know the amount before the vote.

"We were given an estimate, but at this time we have a lot more questions about that," she said. "I think there will be a lot of back and forth questions and changes. So, there's nothing in stone at this time."

Asked if that means the city is looking at making changes to cut the cost, Arnold said "probably, yeah." Asked if that was because the new cost is too high, Arnold said "it's something that we need to reflect upon."

Elaine Aucoin, the city's director of environmental planning and management, told council the design will be finalized over the coming months with the goal to issue a tender in November. Construction would start in April 2022, with the building slated for occupancy in February 2024.

Aucoin told council the building will be designed to last 25 years, an amount she described as standard for a police facility. She said it's designed to accommodate growth over those 25 years in the police force, with the ability to have up to 394 staff.

The 7,673-square metre building would cover two floors and a third-floor mechanical space.

She told council it would feature various work spaces for officers, an emergency communications centre, multipurpose room, gym, atrium with a "living wall," rooftop solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations.

Under the city's public art policy, the old $46-million price tag would also require spending $200,000 on public art for the building.

For nearly a decade, the city has been planning how to either update or replace the existing RCMP station on Main Street. City staff say the decades-old building requires costly maintenance and is too small for a regional police force. 

Codiac polices Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview under a contract that requires the communities to provide an adequate building. 

The city has already spent $2.45 million to buy land on Albert Street, which was prepared for construction last year. 

The Codiac Regional Policing Authority board, which oversees Codiac RCMP, was told in January that a construction tender would be issued within months with the aim to award a contract and begin construction by June or July. 

Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview are sharing the cost of building the facility. Dieppe was previously expected to pay about 18 per cent, Riverview about 12 per cent and Moncton the remainder.