Thunder Bay City Council considers future of police headquarters

The question of what to do with Thunder Bay's aging police headquarters will be back before city council soon.

A report outlining several possible options was presented to council earlier this week.

"[It was] an information report, if I can define it that way," said Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro, who also sits on the city's police services board. "There was no decision, recommendation, motion debated."

The report's options include renovating the existing police headquarters on Balmoral Street, which would cost an estimated $62.6 million.

Building a new, centralized police headquarters is expected to cost about $50 million.

There are other possibilities, however, including adding smaller police satellite offices in the city's cores.

Mauro said the matter will be on the agenda for December's police board meeting. A recommendation from the board is expected to be made then, which will then go back to council for final consideration.

The existing police headquarters was built in 1988. Five years later, a second story was added due to the expansion of the police service.

Still, the report states the current building is too small to properly accommodate the police service and requires a number of upgrades.

"I don't think there's any denying or debating the need," Mauro said. "Ultimately, it will be a decision of council on whether we're in a time and a place where we can move forward with the project."