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Unfavourable soil conditions have added millions to the price tag of the Ottawa Police Service’s future Barrhaven station, according to an update on the project.
Complications with the soil at 3505 Prince of Wales Dr. early in the construction process significantly expanded the scope of foundation work, according to a report presented to the police board’s finance and audit committee Friday.
The structure’s pile foundation — a type of foundation that drives long thin supports into the ground to better support buildings on weak soil — needed to be extended even further.
That delay not only increased costs, but extended the completion timeline, said Bill Merklinger, the police force’s chief financial officer.
“That doesn’t mean to say that we’re now in trouble. It just means the original schedule will not be met,” he said at Friday’s meeting.
As a result, the project’s construction contingency fund has more than doubled from its originally approved $8.05 million to about $17 million. Staff say roughly $10 million of that is directly tied to the soil problems.
Should still come in under budget
Despite those unforeseen costs, the report says the project — which has been in the works for more than a decade — remains financially manageable and is expected to still finish roughly $5 million under budget.
“This project, other than the initial issues we had with the soil conditions and delays there, is where we would want it to be,” said Merklinger.
The Ottawa Police Service says it’s been working closely with general contractor Broccolini Construction to find ways to prevent delays in upcoming phases of construction.
They say they’re also keeping an eye on other potential runover risks, including from tariffs and global supply shortages which could affect upcoming purchases for furniture and equipment.
However, early procurement of things like structural steel helped avoid some additional tariff-related cost increases, the report says.
Construction itself is now 73 per cent complete, according to the report. Structural work, roofing, and the “building envelope” have all been finished, and crews are currently focused on finishing the interior.
“The view that the general contractor has is that the hard work is behind us, and we’re now into the polishing work,” said Merklinger.
Staff are expected to begin moving into the facility in March 2027, with the work completed no later than April 30, 2027.
The Ottawa Police Service says it will continue to track costs and provide another update at its next finance and audit committee meeting in September.