Fort Macleod Mayor Shawn Patience warned Solicitor General Frank Oberle last week the town will continue to hold the government’s feet to the fire to get the police college built.

The mayor wants residents of Fort Macleod and district to supply some of the kindling for that fire.

“We want people who haven’t written letters to the premier to please do so now,” Patience said. “We believe that’s having a positive effect.”

Town council last month mailed to Fort Macleod residents a brochure outlining the history of the Alberta Police and Peace Officer Training Centre project.

The brochure arrived with a request that individual citizens write Premier Ed Stelmach urging him to get the college built.

“We want to keep the message out there that this project is still required,” Patience said.

The province announced in August 2006 Fort Macleod is the site of the college where 1,400 police and peace office recruits will be trained each year.

The college, which was then estimated to cost $110-million, would provide 75 to 100 permanent jobs in Fort Macleod.

Although work on the design and curriculum has proceeded, the government has not yet found the P3 partnership it wants to build the college. The government has also not yet committed any money to construction of the college, something Patience said could be done if the government chose.

“It’s a matter of priorities,” Patience said. “What we need to do is to make sure it is a priority for the government.”

The mayor is again urging every Fort Macleod resident to write a letter to the premier.

“It is entirely too important to allow it to flounder,” Patience said.