![Saugeen Shores deputy mayor and police service board chair Luke
Charbonneau [left] and Chief Dan Rivett present during the public
meeting on the future of the police building. (Photo by Jordan MacKinnon)](https://media.mynewstoday.ca/i/8eXvXLqR/355)
The Saugeen Shores Police Service has support for a new building from some members of the public.
About 50 people attended a public meeting hosted by the police service board, who are actively seeking input on potential plans to either renovate the current police building in Port Elgin, or build new.
Chief Dan Rivett showed the audience pictures of the cramped 16-year-old police building, which was built nearly half the recommended size and is plagued structural problems, including leaking doors and windows.
Rivett says the price tag will be steep regardless of what is recommended to council, pegging the price of a renovation at $4.3-million, to upwards of $6.5-million for a new build to house both police and other emergency responders, such as potentially Bruce County EMS.
All who spoke at the meeting were in favour of building a new police building, including former Southampton mayor Art Knechtel, who recently toured the existing facility and says he was shocked by what he saw.
"I was amazed, I was astounded, I wouldn't have believed it, it's terrible," says Knechtel. "I don't know how our police force functions in that building and I don't know why something wasn't done before."
Knechtel suggests a new build is the best way to go, but adds there should also be a discussion and even a plebiscite on whether or not the community should stick with a municipal police force, or switch to the OPP, adding he believes the province is pressuring small municipalities to go with the OPP.
Rivett admits he knew the OPP topic would come up during the meeting, but says it's a bigger discussion for the entire community.
"Just because we need a new building isn't a reason to kick us out and say take a hike," says Rivett. "We need a facility to work out of to continue to provide the adequate and effective policing that we're doing and I think some form of option will be sought this fall in council."
Rivett says the police service board will hold another public meeting on August 17 in Southampton and will then develop a final recommendation for council when 2017 budget talks begin this fall.
