Halifax considering 3 sites for new police headquarters

Halifax has identified three possible sites for a new Halifax Regional Police police headquarters.

City staff say the current location, now 50 years old, has long needed to be replaced.

Municipal staff brought forward the possible sites to the city's board of police commissioners on Monday. 

They include the current headquarters property on Gottingen Street, which would also require the land across the street where the Centennial Pool and modular housing for people who are homeless now sit.

The other locations are in Cowie Hill off Dunbrack Street and in the Burnside business park.

"Our communities need the police service delivery to be delivered from a state-of-the-art new facility," said Coun. Becky Kent.

Philip Dugandzic, Halifax's director of facility design and construction, said that Halifax police outgrew the David P. McKinnon Building some time ago and has since spread its services into several buildings around the municipality. 

A 2018 study found that centralizing some of those police services would be more efficient. Dugandzic said that argument has only grown as the city's population and police staffing needs have jumped in recent years.

A Halifax police presentation to the board in 2018 said the current headquarters, built in 1975, has inadequate fingerprinting, interviewing and public reception space. It's also not physically accessible for people with various abilities, and has little room for storage.

More people under one roof

Chief Don MacLean said the new headquarters wouldn't be a huge police complex for all services, But he said it would be helpful to bring more people together under one roof.

"There is some value, I think, to have the investigative teams in the same building and the patrol members … so they could work collaboratively," MacLean said. 

Dugandzic said each site comes with its challenges and advantages. The Gottingen Street option would have one building constructed where the Centennial Pool is now, and then another on the current headquarters site.

But Halifax staff are already working on a study to assess whether a new competition-size pool could go on the site, or keep and reconstruct the existing pool.

Support for pool

"I would hope that we could go somewheres else other than taking away a vital pool that is in our community," said Coun. Virginia Hinch, who represents the north end.

The new Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre is also planned on the adjacent parcel to the pool, so any future redevelopment would need to co-ordinate with that.

The report will now go to regional council for a final decision. If approved, staff would analyze all three options and what HRP would need in a facility over the coming decades.

The pre-design and site-selection phase is expected to take over a year.

Halifax has earmarked $180.5 million for the project in its 10-year capital budget.