NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF BARRIE
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Following approvals from the County of Simcoe and City of Barrie Councils, work on the new Barrie-Simcoe Emergency Services Campus (BSESC) is moving forward.
Once complete, this modern facility will house the Barrie Police Service Headquarters, County of Simcoe Paramedic Services and Barrie Fire and Emergency Service dispatch communications in one location at 110 Fairview Rd. in Barrie.
The location at Fairview Road was chosen due to its central location, which is key to maintaining emergency service response times as Barrie’s borders expand.
This means improved emergency response for Barrie and area residents. The site is also large enough to support future growth. The campus is being designed with the flexibility to accommodate the community’s needs for the next 25 years, ensuring long-term value for residents.
In an effort to reduce costs and minimize debt, the project will proceed in a phased approach with the Barrie Police Headquarters, Barrie Fire and Emergency Service communications dispatch, and County of Simcoe Paramedic Services components being constructed in the first phase and the police and fire training facility components being deferred to a future date.
In the meantime, the Barrie Police Service will retain their current location of 79 Bell Farm Rd. for training purposes and Barrie firefighters will continue training at their Saunders Road location.
Combining these services in one location will save approximately $15 million (15 per cent) in capital costs plus an estimated $370,000 (18 per cent) annually in operations and maintenance costs compared to standalone facilities.
Additionally, partners will benefit from better coordination, communication and support through sharing common facilities in a campus setting. The total project budget for Phase 1 is $103 million.
Construction on Phase 1 of the campus is scheduled to begin in early 2018, with early site preparations beginning in late fall 2017. It is anticipated the facility will be complete and operational by 2020.
A community information session is being planned for September. Details will be communicated via letter to area residents, This Week in Barrie (appears Thursdays in the Barrie Examiner), the community events calendar at www.barrie.ca and via Facebook and Twitter.
The County will also provide information on www.simcoe.ca and via Facebook and Twitter.
Visit here for more information including FAQs and project updates.
Quotes
“As Barrie continues to grow, we must find new and innovative ways to deliver services. This emergency services campus presents a unique opportunity to rethink and redefine how these services are delivered to our residents. Council and staff worked hard to explore all options and ensure that the campus meets the needs of our growing community and will deliver emergency services at the best value to residents today and for years to come.”
– City of Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman
“The County’s investment of $23.94 million in the campus demonstrates our strong commitment to ensuring that all our residents are served with the highest Paramedic Services care possible, with timely access to the health care services that Barrie residents urgently need. This local investment in necessary healthcare will benefit residents of Barrie, Innisfil, Springwater and surrounding communities for decades to come and we are grateful to our partners in the City for working with us on this innovative, multi-serve project.”
– County of Simcoe Warden Gerry Marshall
“The campus will serve as the hub for Paramedic Services for the County, providing centralized training, administration, storage and other support features. The strategic location close to Highway 400 and the large base of operations will also allow us to advance our strategic facility plan and eventually place suitably-sized Paramedic Stations in population growth areas with the goal of reducing our response times to these locations and building on our healthcare service excellence.”
– Jane Sinclair, general manager, Health and Emergency Services, County of Simcoe
“The new centralized police facility will create efficiencies, which will ensure that the Barrie Police Service can accomplish our core functions in carrying out our mission to provide professional, accountable and sustainable police services. The Barrie Police Service along with Simcoe County Paramedic Services and Barrie Fire and Emergency Service, will work in unison to provide programming and services to our community with efficiency while being economically responsible,”
– Barrie Police Chief Kimberley Greenwood
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