Emergency crews in Barrie will have a new place to call home after city councillors approved a multi-million dollar plan to build a new hub for police, fire and paramedics.
During a special meeting on Monday night, Barrie city councillors unanimously approved an amendment to build the campus at a cost of $103 million.
The hub will include a new headquarters and maintenance facility for police, as well as a campus for Simcoe County paramedics.
"Difficult decisions have to be made when it comes to the taxes consequences and the kind of costs that are associated with a project like this,” says Mayor Jeff Lehman.
The project initially was pegged to cost more than $120 million. However, councillors decided to delay building a training facility for police and firefighters. That means they will have to use existing training facilities or travel to other communities.
"We are pleased in the sense that we do have a headquarters, but it doesn't totally meet the needs our board approved and the service recommended," says Barrie police chief Kimberley Greenwood.
The County of Simcoe already agreed to cover the $23 million slotted for the paramedic services section of the campus at a meeting in June.
There is no timeline for when the hub will be built.
