By Rosalind Russell – Espanola council wants to discuss options for the two existing facilities the Manitoulin OPP use and plans for possible renovations or replacements.
Town Clerk Joseph Burke says last week council extended an invitation to Infrastructure Ontario and the OPP to provide presentations on options for building one new detachment to replace the two existing facilities, the main detachment on Highway 17 in McKerrow and the municipally-owned building on Highway Six – Centre Street.
He says the invitation came about following a presentation to council in February where Manitoulin Detachment Commander Megan Moriarty explained the challenges the OPP is facing with the two locations especially factors such as their age, infrastructure breakdowns, lack of space and more.
She points out neither building meets modern OPP health and safety or building standards, so replacement, repair or major retrofits are inevitable.
Burke adds the two options are either for the OPP to wait until provincial funding is secured to build a new detachment or the municipality builds the facility at its expense and leases it back to the OPP as part of a cost recovery agreement.
He expects the presentation to take place in late Spring.
For Moriarty’s complete presentation visit our websites. https://pub-espanola.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?
Photo: Now that the new state-of-the-art centralized detachment is in operation in Little Current, Manitoulin OPP is hoping to see a new build to serve the Espanola-Highway 17 service area. Photo by Rosalind Russell
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