Waterloo Regional Police set to build $173 million communications centre

A three-floor, $173 million communications facility to be built in Cambridge will give Waterloo police a link to fire services and paramedics.

The Public Safety Communications Centre (PSCC) will bridge emergency services, and be the biggest build on the police service agenda for the next decade plus.

The proposed and approved build is a 75,000 sq. ft., three-floor facility at the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) campus on Maple Grove Road.

There other option presented to the police service board was a smaller 50,000 sq. ft. facility, but the board preferred the larger, recommended size.

The PSCC will be built as part of the refreshed Facilities Master Plan.

The project is set to cost just over $173 million, though the cost of the build could be reduced by around $23 million due to projects that would be deferred by the additional square footage of the approved project.

Vice Chair of the Police Board, and Regional Chair, Karen Redman, applauded the proposal at the meeting on Wednesday.

“I know we’ve talked about green space and parking, but I think over time I’ve also come to realize the proximity of the communications centre and other facilities are really part of this design proposal,” said Redman at the board meeting on Wednesday.

According to WRPS staff, each month the project is delayed, the cost could increase by an estimated $440 thousand due to inflation.