Dryden OPP detachment on time and on budget

News — 10 January 2012

Staff Sergeant Chuck Wesley (left) and project manager, Dan Stewart stand in the main reception area of the new OPP Dryden detachment. Photo by Ally Dunham

By Ally Dunham

The new detachment for the Dryden OPP is right on schedule, as well as on budget, according to Staff Sergeant, Detachment Commander Chuck Wesley.

A walk through the new building shows the technological and space advantages becoming available in the new facility, including a silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

“The nice thing is, because it’s brand new, everything is integrated. Right now we have an old building where pieces are put here and there, so this is all integrated. All the video monitoring, it’s nice and seamless,” said Wesley. “There’s a room for everything, so that’s nice. The officers will have a lot more room to do their work, and provide that much better service.”

In the main entrance, there will be a public access area, inclusive of a reception area, a boardroom, a waiting area, and a washroom. The boardroom will house advanced technology, including a big screen monitor, a projector with screen, and will have full video/teleconferencing capabilities.

“The advantage is right now we have to go to Thunder Bay for training, but with all this video conferencing equipment we’ll have now, we’ll be able to bring other detachments here, to a central location and do the same training without having to travel. It saves time and expense,” said Wesley.

There are offices for different members of the detachment, including the Operations Manager, Community Service Officer, the court officer, and the Shift Sergeant as well as ample storage for each department.

The new detachment will include a special area designed as the Occupational Health and Safety room, inclusive of a gym, shower areas and locker rooms for males and females.

The cells are completely separate and secure from the main building area, with access from a special entrance, as well as from the constables’ area.

The building will include separate, secure vaults for storage of confiscated items, such as firearms, drugs, property and other objects obtained by crime. The officers will have their own storage vault for the safe-keeping of their work firearms.

“As they’re getting fitted up for the day, all of their firearms and stuff are securely stored in one spot and it’s nice and safe,” said Wesley.

“The block walls are fully concrete, so there are no dangers,” said Dan Stewart, Project Co-ordinator of the OPP Modernization Project for Bird Design-Build Ltd.

Included in the facility are oversize garage bays along with the regular size, to accommodate the additional units such as the OPP boat, the prisoner transport unit, the emergency response mobile command unit or the underwater search and rescue recovery unit.

The entire facility is one floor only, with the exception of the garage area, which includes a mezzanine intended for storage use. Extra rooms will include additional offices including the Crime Room Office, as well as a mudroom with locker storage and a lunchroom.

“The functionality of the building describes it all, because we have a much bigger workspace so everyone can work much more efficiently. Our technology now fits with every other facility,” said Wesley. “Right now we have technology, but there is no place to put it.”

The construction of the building is on schedule, although there will be a difference of when the building is complete, and when the actual move takes place.

“The building will be done, but the issues are, it takes a while to test all the systems, they have to get all of our equipment in and technology, and there are a specific group of IT people that do all that,” said Stewart.

“This is one of 18 facilities that we are doing across Ontario right now, and it’s the same group of people that come in and test the computers. They are doing every one of those buildings, so what we have is a master schedule. The completion of construction and the actual turnover are not necessarily the same time,” said Stewart.

The new facility will be close to 15,000 sq feet and should be complete by the second half of 2012. The detachment will host an open house upon completion for the general public.

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