It will be up to a new council to decide if the city doles out millions of dollars for repairs at the Sarnia Police Headquarters.
The Sarnia Police Service Board has unanimously approved a recommendation to ask the city for $3.5 million in immediate capital funding, to carry out critical repairs at the Christina Street facility.
Interim Police Chief Mike Federico emphasized the proposed work represents a long-term investment rather than a temporary fix.
"We're not asking to enhance the building to create greater capacity, we're just trying to survive in this building," said Federico. "These sound like dramatic words, but I don't think the urgency can be overstated. And the price that we're asking for is a reasonable prediction based upon reality and understanding of the technical demands."
Deputy Police Chief Mike VanSickle said one of the immediate capital priorities for 2027 is the front entrance stairs, which do not meet current accessibility requirements.
He said the issue extends beyond the exterior condition of the stairs.
"They're part of the building. That's not an exterior extension to the building. If you were to scrape away our stairs, you're going to look into the basement of the police service. So, it's not something that can just be removed."
Other high priority repairs highlighted in the report include replacement of the fuel tank, panic strips and buttons for holding areas and the expansion and refurbishment of the sally port.
In VanSickle's report he said the decision not to proceed with construction of a new police headquarters won't relieve the facility pressures facing the Sarnia Police Service.
Instead, local officials and police leadership must now invest in upgrading the current station to ensure it remains safe, secure, and fully operational.
"We've compiled a list of immediate needs to meet the minimum standards of what we need to do to keep this building operational," said VanSickle. "Some of these are impacted by orders that may be reinforced by enforcement through outside agencies, but we're going to need to make some changes."
The board also approved the 10-Year Capital Plan be reviewed annually and adjusted, based upon the aging building's condition, legislative and regulatory requirements, operational needs and the failure or deterioration of critical building systems.
