Work will soon begin on the construction of a new police station.
Municipal administrator Don DeGagne said the final approvals and tendering details are being put in place and are expected within one or two weeks.
The earth work, foundation work and concrete will be the first parts of the construction project.
“Once it gets rolling, it will happen pretty quickly,” DeGagne said.
The new police facility is expected to cost between $4.1 and $4.5 million and will last for around 50 years. A referendum held in fall allows the municipality to borrow up to $3.125 million for the construction of the new facility.
The new building will have around 835 square metres of usable area. It will also have a basement of around 450 square metres, but the basement may not be used for office space or cells.
The site for the new facility is near the top of Peach Orchard Road.
The existing police station, on Jubilee Road East, was constructed in 1969 as a restaurant and was converted to serve as a police station in 1975.
Today, there are nine officers and two office staff workers at the detachment, more than double the number in 1975.
The building is also facing problems because of its age. The cells were condemned in 2005 and prisoners are now taken to cells in Penticton.
Once the new building is in use, the municipality will look to sell the site of the existing police station.