The brand new York Regional Police District 1 headquarters in Newmarket is opening for operations on Jan. 10.
The facility at 429 Harry Walker Pkwy. will be home to almost 200 sworn and civilian workers, who will serve the community in Newmarket, Aurora, East Gwillimbury, King, and northern portions of Vaughan and Whitchurch-Stouffville.
It will be open 24 hours per day, 365 days a year.
"We remain grateful to our police services board and York regional council for their support in addressing growth in our region and recognizing our efforts to ensure our citizens feel safe and secure through excellence in policing,” said Chief Jim MacSween a news release.
The two-storey building is 49,500 square-feet and sits on more than two acres of land. It features public spaces for community access, administrative and office spaces for police use, vehicle storage space, interview rooms, holding cells, and amenities for officers like fitness rooms and lockers.
Environmental impact was taken into consideration during the design process, with the building being built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standards and using green strategies like natural light, air tightness, and other design elements to minimize emissions.
YRP broke ground on the building in September 2020, with a budget of $26 million.
The station was originally slated to open by fall 2021, and now the pandemic has hampered grand opening plans.
"We had been looking forward to hosting a grand opening event, with tours for members of the public and community engagement with #1 District members, however COVID-19 restrictions have prevented that at this time. We hope to do so in the coming months,” MacSween said.
The existing district 1 headquarters on Prospect Street will close to the public on Sunday, Jan. 9, however YRP will retain the building. Now the station will be home to YRP staff who were previously in rented office space.
Deputy Chief Paulo De Silva had previously said the move would save them $180,000 per year and police also said it will help maintain their presence in downtown Newmarket.
