Weekly newsletter: May 9, 2023
Good morning!
To everyone in the community with connections to World War II, Happy VE Day, and congratulations on this anniversary!
Last week, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) provided me with an update about their upcoming police station project (known as the south facility) at Prince of Wales and Lodge Road.
Some residents may recall the project was shelved mid-pandemic amid rising construction costs and was unshelved with the passage of the 2023 Budget.
As a bit of background, the site was first selected back in 2010 to house a detachment for the southern suburbs. Contingent on the completion of the Vimy Memorial Bridge, the station was scheduled to open in 2012.
However, as the bridge project became delayed, OPS put the project on hold. Following an assessment of policing needs, they determined the western suburbs were growing much faster and decided to construct the Huntmar police station first, which opened in 2012.
Following the completion of the bridge, the south station was resurrected. OPS made several changes, including what services were to be housed at the new facility. The changes scaled up the size of the project to a larger facility beyond just a detachment.
The project was shovel-ready when it was shelved mid-pandemic amid rising construction costs and its future was shaky given the climate at that time.
The south facility was an important topic of discussion for several residents in Barrhaven who felt the police presence in the community left something to be desired. I shared these concerns throughout the 2023 budget process to ensure the project could be resurrected (again).
Thankfully, OPS and the Police Board saw the same value in the project I did and voted to unshelve the project and increase its budget. The project is now approaching its final planning phases and minor contracts are being negotiated for some pre-construction work.
Aside from the police detachment, the south facility will host several valuable services for the community and provide the police with the infrastructure needed to modernise some aspects of the service and free up much-needed space at their Elgin Street headquarters.
Included in the building are a collision reporting centre, a community boardroom, the community relations team, specialised units like traffic and events, and a new 9-1-1 call centre.
The police service will also be reviewing its service/patrol areas for a possible realignment to improve their presence in our communities. The existing end-of-life stations on Greenbank and Leitrim roads will close, and OPS will also terminate their use of two leased facilities elsewhere in the city.
Most importantly, police presence will greatly improve in our community, from both a safety and security standpoint, as well as community involvement. This also brings specialised jobs — up to 200 per shift — to our community and will indirectly contribute to our small businesses and add value to our neighbourhoods.
The OPS are hoping to attract another community tenant in their building to co-use some of their spaces, too.
Lastly, the project will improve the landscaping and streetscaping of the area around Prince of Wales and Lodge Road, especially closer to the Rideau River.
The OPS have shared their full commitment in being a good neighbour during construction and will regularly communicate with Carleton Lodge as well as the neighbourhoods directly across the site.
I hope you share a similar sense of excitement about the project! Ground breaking is expected to take place late-2023 with an anticipated opening in late-2026.
Some other updates you may be interested in:
City crews will be collecting large branches and stumps left at the curbside over the next two and a half weeks. There is no need to notify 3-1-1 at this time.
Resurfacing on Stoneway Drive between Windhurst (west) and Rideaucrest will begin May 10, 2023
Resurfacing on Greenbank Road between Foxfield-Malvern and Fallowfield will begin May 15, 2023, and may involve some overnight work
Contracts are currently being negotiated for the following resurfacing projects:
Earl Mulligan – first 50 metres west of Woodroffe
Lodge Road – between Prince of Wales and Rocky Hill
Prince of Wales – between where Woodroffe used to connect and Bankfield
Woodroffe – between Fallowfield and Longfields
Have a great week, and an early Happy Mothers Day!
-Wilson