The Nelson Police Department is asking the City of Nelson for more information on the future of the building it shares with the Nelson Public Library.
Board members voted to send a letter to the city’s facilities manager at their March 4 meeting, requesting an assessment of the building’s remaining lifespan and possible options for upgrades or redevelopment.
Police Chief Donovan Fisher said the department has been discussing the issue for several years as the building ages and space becomes increasingly limited.
“We’ve had some discussions for the past couple years, looking at the facilities and the lifespan of this building and what’s appropriate that could be done with this existing building to extend the lifespan,” he said. “Space is also an issue.”
Fisher said information provided by the city will help determine whether it makes sense to extend the life of the existing space or explore alternatives.
“There has been discussion in the past between the department and the library on what potential options there are for making this space usable or one or the other vacating the building.”
Board members also discussed whether a future police facility could be combined with a new fire hall.
Fisher said the idea has been discussed but faces significant challenges.
“I wouldn’t say it’s off the table, but just because of space and requirements and expenses, firstly, I think it was going to significantly increase the cost for that, that the city still didn’t feel like they could afford.”
He said combining police and fire services in one building would require a significantly larger space and could increase project costs.
There are also limited external funding sources for a new police building, meaning much of the cost would likely fall on local taxpayers.
“There really isn’t a significant amount of funding outside of the tax base for what that police department serves, even in the RCMP,” said Fisher.
Nelson Mayor Janice Morrison, who sits on the police board, added that finding a location for a new fire hall is a higher priority because its placement affects the city’s insurance rating.
“Your home insurance and our safety rating is dependent on where that fire hall is positioned,” she said.
“When a spot is found, it probably will fit the fire hall, and probably wouldn’t be a huge footprint of more space.”
She added that the fire hall can’t be placed just anywhere in the city because response times are a key factor in determining insurance classifications.
“We can’t put the fire hall at one end of town,” she said.
Once a suitable location is identified, Morrison said the city could then determine whether there is space to include a police facility on the same site.
The board said it will review next steps once the city provides more information on the building’s condition and long-term options.
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