Macleod finds way to build police college

Fort Macleod will show the provincial government this month how the police college can be built.
The police college liaison committee will choose one of two proposals for private-public partnerships presented by a consultant.
“The goal is to give them an option we think is viable to get the project off the ground,” Fort Macleod Mayor Shawn Patience said. “We’re here to help. We believe in this project.”
The province announced in August 2006 it had chosen Fort Macleod as the site of the Alberta Police and Peace Officer Training Centre.
More than four years later the project is not under way so town council hired the Commonwealth Group to develop a P3 proposal.
“This is a huge project and it meant immense things to this community and this region,” Patience said. “This is something we didn’t start, but we certainly want to finish.”
The police college was developed to provide standard training for 1,400 police and peace officer recruits each year.
The college was also expected to create 75 to 100 permanent jobs in Fort Macleod.
The province received nine responses in January 2008 to its call for expressions of interest in a P3 partnership but did not move forward.
“There was interest from the private sector,” Patience said. “We just didn’t get a commitment from the government.”
Premier Ed Stelmach and other MLAs have repeatedly said the government is committed to building the police college in Fort Macleod but has not yet made any firm commitment.
The government’s refusal to help fund the project has left it stalled, so last summer council spent $25,000 to have Commonwealth develop models for P3 partnerships.
Commonwealth officials reported to council there is strong interest in the project from the private sector, as well as law enforcement officials.
Commonwealth has identified investors willing to fund the police college, and has developed two models.
Commonwealth was to unveil the models Wednesday to the police college liaison committee but an emergency forced the Edmonton-based company to postpone.
Patience said Wednesday council has not seen either of the models.
The liaison committee will decide which model to pursue prior to a meeting in mid-November with Solicitor General Frank Oberle.
Patience told the liaison committee Commonwealth has found investors to fully fund the project, but Fort Macleod would prefer to have the government involved.
“The bottom line is we just want to get this thing built,” Patience said. “It has become very much incumbent on this little community to make this happen.”