Kingdom Hall to remain standing until summer of 2022, as City of Prince Rupert continues on with new RCMP detachment planning

Still standing and will remain so until the summer at least,
the Jehovah Witness Hall in downtown Prince Rupert is the
proposed site for a new RCMP detachment in the city

 Residents of the city won't see any tangible indication of progress for a new RCMP detachment until the summer at the earliest, with the current empty shell of the old Jehovah Witness Hall to remain standing through the winter and spring before the city moves forward with demolition to prepare the site for the new home of the Mounties in Prince Rupert.

That was one of a few pieces of information delivered in an update on the Detachment planning; that part of a larger presentation on the progress of Major Projects for Council on Monday by the city's Director of Operations.

Richard Pucci provided council with an overview of a number of key infrastructure and other plans in motion and when he reached the RCMP detachment theme, he noted that to this point the project is only at the 15 percent complete mark. 

That as the City still awaits further guidance from Province and the RCMP as to whether the facility will be a combined detachment of all RCMP services in the region, or a stand alone building for the city's policing needs.

His short overview of the planning for the project was as follows:

"The RCMP detachment we are looking at about 15 precent complete on that, we are still reviewing the schedule with the province for their component of that, if it's a combined detachment or just a city led detachment. We are slating the demolition for next summer on our site, which is the former Kingdom Hall site"

The site was selected in October of last year, with the city purchasing the Third East at McBride Street location adjacent to the Court House from the Jehovah Witness congregation. 

The purchase involving a land swap as well, which will see the congregation build a new Hall at some point at land near the Prince Rupert Civic Centre complex.

The quest to build a new RCMP detachment goes back more than a decade, the first mentions came from the days of the Herb Pond era council, the plans picked up speed and then slowed and then paused again over the course of the Jack Mussallem years, with the current council making some significant progress over the last twelve months towards at least settling on a location for the facility.

Some of that recent history and timeline when it comes to the work towards a new detachment can be reviewed here.

Mr. Pucci's presentation on the Major projects update can be explored from the City's Video Archive starting at the two minute mark.

More notes related to the Monday Council session can be reviewed here.

A wider overview of past Council themes is available through our Council Discussion Archive page.