Development of the $110-million Alberta Police and Peace Officer Training Centre in Fort Macleod has entered the next phase.

The province has called for expressions of interest from developers who might build and operate the 45,000 square metre facility.

“An expression of interest is the first step in a process to determine the level of interest in providing the financial and economic options from the private sector in development of this facility,” said Kent Phillips, a project director with Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation. “We’re looking for ideas.”

Interested developers have until April 3 to respond, and expressions of interest will then be reviewed through April and May.

Project manager Bill Meade briefly explained to the 25 people at the Empress Theatre the process that led to an MLA committee recommending Fort Macleod as the host community for the college.

“The next step in the journey is to move forward with development of that site,” Meade said.

The Alberta Treasury Board has recommended the police college be developed as a private-public partnership (P3).

“We need to explore that, and that is what the (expression of interest) is doing,” Meade said. “Really the (expression of interest) is providing you with some information to get your head around what the opportunity might be.”

The project managers provided information about the police college to the public at open houses in Calgary and Fort Macleod and will then answer any questions.

“Then we’ll move into a (request for proposals) and the actual awarding and development of the engineering and architectural contracts,” Meade said. Phillips said there is strong interest in the police college.

“We had a good turnout yesterday in Calgary,” Phillips said. “Members of the architectural community as well as the development community were there and asked some good questions.”

The college will provide training for police in Alberta as well as peace officers such as special constables, corrections officers, sheriffs, private investigators and security guards.

“The scope is much more than just police,” Phillips said. “As well there is an opportunity to find people outside the province who would come to train at the new facility.”

Phillips said there is an opportunity in the future to provide training in Fort Macleod for other first responders such as paramedics and firefighters.

Phillips noted there is a steering committee in place of Alberta police chiefs, the Solicitor General, RCMP and the Fort Macleod community.

“Within the Solicitor General’s office they have several different levels of expertise that will help us develop the program,” Phillips said.

The police college, Phillips explained, will have a main building of about 35,000 square metres, a training area that is like an outdoor village, indoor firing ranges and vehicle services.

There will be typical classrooms and labs in the college.

“Then we get into very specialized training facilities for hard skills,” Phillips said. “We’re expecting a lot of the recruits who come will already have some kind of background in criminal justice.”

The recruits will receive in Fort Macleod “hard skill” training in scenario-based situations such as combatives, use of force and testifying in court.

“Our role is to pull that training together into a continuity of training and standards, and that also frames the style of training,” Dr. Curtis Clarke said. “We’re looking at adult learning that now places individuals into scenarios, as real as we can possibly make it.”

The style of training has driven the design of the college, Clarke said.

“It’s really what has fed the numbers, the size and the kind of environment we want to create,” Clarke said. “The scenario-based training was very important.”

The college will have offices for the registrar, instructors and administration, as well as an armoury, chapel, health centre and radio work area.

Special facilities to be included at the college are shooting ranges, simulation areas, combative rooms, a parade ground, drill hall and tactical area.

Instructional space will include computer labs, a DNA lab, distance learning, lecture theatre, breakout rooms and a library.

Those areas will be for the exclusive use of the college, but there are plans for possible shared use facilities such as a driving track, ball fields and running and bike trails.

Other possible shared use areas or services the college might purchase are a gym, ball courts, fitness centre, recruit residence, hotel for continuing education, food services, store, laundry, bar or lounge.

Support services that might be bought or shared include parking, material handling, vehicle maintenance, building maintenance, printing and an audio-visual work area.

“The model would be that these police agencies would form an entity of some kind that would be the organization that would then contract with the developer to provide all of the services that we’re looking for,” Phillips said.

The expression of interest is a way to gather information, Phillips said, with no obligation on the part of the government to choose any developer who responds.

The process to select a private service provider will involve a request for qualifications, Phillips said.

“Once we get a short list of qualified respondents of teams that can complete the project we will give them a detailed request for proposals that will detail all of the requirements in great detail, as well as the business terms,” Phillips said.

The request for proposals is to be out in May 2008. The contract is to be awarded in January 2009.