Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB) has approved a $193-million plan to build a new police station in Barrhaven and awarded the contract to Broccolini Construction. A report stated Broccolini was the lowest bidder meeting all criteria. Three bids were received.
The station will be built on eight acres of a 15-acre site on Prince of Wales Drive near Lodge Road. The 218,000-square-foot building will replace the Leitrim and Greenbank police stations, as well as several leased properties. A new 911 Communications Centre will be included in the new facility.
In 2018 design of the South Ottawa station was awarded to Prime Architects – a joint venture with Moriyama Tashima and CS&P Architects with Project Management support from Colliers Project Leaders. The design was completed in mid-summer 2020 to support the initial construction tender. The Phase A tender package was released at the end of the year to three pre-qualified general contractors.
The new station will replace 4561 Bank Street and 245 Greenbank Road sites – stations deemed to be at the end of their lifespan and are becoming increasingly expensive to maintain.
In February 2021, the Phase A tender closed, however, in April 2021 the board supported the a recommendation to cancel the initial construction tender of Phase A due to impacts to the construction industry during the pandemic.
Over the summer, the OPS refined the estimate associated with the full design, interior construction, and tenant fit-up of Phase B.2.
“The implications of having paused it contributed to millions and millions and millions of dollars in cost escalation, so we’re happy to see it go again and control the cost when we can,” Board member Marty Carr said at the meeting. “The impact of those delays were significant.”
Design of Phase B.1 was completed in February 2022, creating a single tender package that encompassed both Phases (A and B.1).
As part of the south facility project (SFP) restart earlier this year, the OPS worked to update consultant contracts, which were presented to and approved by the board in April. With the re-start, the Ottawa Police Service immediately began to package and advance work that would leverage favourable weather conditions, a strategy that was possible given the ‘shelf-ready’ status of the design.
The board approved the contract award for the construction of the Road Modifications on Prince of Wales Drive. This construction is currently ongoing and anticipated to be complete in the coming months.
The project offers an opportunity for implementing the latest construction technologies, from energy-efficient systems to advanced security features. It is expected to create numerous jobs, benefiting the local economy.
