Read Management to Build Correctional Facilities
The province has signed a development agreement with Read Management Ltd. to design and build the new correctional and forensic facilities in Bedford.
The agreement allows the departments of Justice and Health to begin the design and planning of state-of-the-art facilities that will improve security and provide better programs for patients and offenders.
Staff will work with Read Management to refine the design and ensure it meets government requirements for safety and security. These requirements include: architectural design (site preparation, structural design, regulatory requirements, water and sewage systems), mechanical design (plumbing, heating and ventilation, fire protection and insulation); and electrical design (lighting, wiring, communications and technology).
Specific design requirements were outlined in the request for proposals issued in August 1998. The design phase will be completed in 60 days. A lease agreement will be signed after government approves the final design of the facilities, valued at $57 million. Once the lease is signed, details of both agreements will be made public.
The facilities will be about 1.6 kilometres west of the Department of National Defence's rifle range in Bedford. The preferred location for the access road has been identified as the Nova Scotia Power Corp. power line right-of-way off the Hammonds Plains Road. About 40.5 hectares (100 acres) will be needed for the facilities, 19 (47 acres) of which are allocated for the actual buildings, and an additional 350 hectares (860 acres) will remain available for public use.
Public consultation continues with a meeting planned with residents near the proposed access road to answer their questions and address their concerns. Consultation has included open houses, the creation of a community advisory group, and regular newsletters.
Read Management Ltd. consists of Cardinal Management, architectural firms John K. Dobbs and Associates and William Nycum and Associates Ltd., CBCL Ltd., Morris and Richard Consulting Engineers Ltd. and Tidewater Construction Ltd., all from Halifax.
Surveying and site preparation for the facilities will begin immediately. Tidewater Construction Ltd. will obtain temporary permission to use a water service access road near the site.