City is eyeing the Markus Howell Field at Charlie Krupp Stadium, 581 McPhillips and home of the Winnipeg Nomads, as potential site for new North End Police Station. /FRED MORRIS
I would like to thank Councillor Mike Pagtakhan who asked me for my input.
It was pointed out at the 2003 public consultations that the exact locations of police stations are not as important as fire halls. However, it is desirable to have police stations spread out across the city.
Grant Avenue is in between the Lyle and Pembina locations that it replaced. Dugald Road is between the Provencher and Pandora West Stations that it replaced.
The July 23, 2003 Council Minutes stated that the North End Station should be within two kilometres of Redwood and Arlington. I will disagree with this part of the report.
All the neighborhoods south of the Old Ex site are reasonably close to the Downtown Station. The new North End Station should be north of Inkster. It could better cover the entire North End. Also, it would provide better access to some of East Kildonan than the Dugald Road Station.
Location, location, location
As I drove down Ferrier and Templeton (part of Templeton is in worse shape than the worst part of Empress), I saw vacant land, new developments, and proposed developments. Since 2003, has the city bought or retained any of these lands for a new police station?
Also, I would ask if there are any surplus city lands around the Winnipeg Pollution Control Centre at 2230 Main or the Fire Department Training Facility at 2546 McPhillips.
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- Old Ex site is at Markus Howell Field.
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- Many who use this sports field don’t want new police station built here.
Facilities with many different recreational activities should be maintained. The city has added two large indoor sports facilities to the existing Garden City Community Centre Complex. It has become a real sports hub with soccer, hockey and baseball on the same site. Why would the city move in the other direction at the other end of the North End by making the Old Ex Complex smaller?
According to the July 2003 Council Report, this North End Station should have been completed in 2006. The delay may be a major reason for soaring police costs. However, let us not compound these mistakes by building the new police station in the entirely wrong location.
