Saugeen Shores council has approved the final design concept for the new Saugeen Shores Police Service building.
The $6.8-million police station will be located on MacKenzie Rd. at the north end of Port Elgin, and is proposed to be nearly 15,000 sq ft in size -- more than double the current police station just a block away.
Chief Mike Bellai says new building addresses all of the concerns of the current building, including improved security and a fully functioning heating and cooling system.
He says another big concern addressed with the new building is increased storage space for evidence and files.
"Storage of files was quite an issue because [the current] building is so small, the area that we have set aside in the new building, will be over the double the size we have now," says Bellai. "We'll be in really good shape."
Bellai says his officers are looking forward to moving in.
"We've shared the drawings with them, with the [Saugeen Shores Police] Association, with the regular membership and they're very excited about it," says Bellai. "They really are very, very supportive of the design."
Bellai says tenders for construction will be posted in the near future, with a planned groundbreaking ceremony this summer.
A vacant lot on MacKenzie Rd. in Port Elgin which will be site of the new Saugeen Shores Police Service building (Jordan MacKinnon photo)