Council has approved the transfer of 320 acres of Town of Fort Macleod land to the province.
The land in the southeast corner of Fort Macleod is the site of the new police college.
“There are some details we are still working out,” Mayor Shawn Patience said.
Council approved the land transfer at its April 25 meeting.
Town administration was directed to work out any details with the provincial government.
The government announced last month Alberta’s police college will be fully operational in 2014 in Fort Macleod.
The government will begin work this summer on the $117-million facility where 1,350 police and peace officers will receive training each year.
Solicitor General Frank Oberle, Infrastructure Minister Ray Danyluk and Livingstone-Macleod MLA Evan Berger came to Fort Macleod to roll out the plans.
They told Fort Macleod officials there will be a ground-breaking ceremony in late June or early July, with pilings for the facility in the ground before winter.
Fort Macleod was named the site of the police college in 2006 but the project stalled when the government could not attract a P3 (private-public) partner.
The government has now decided it will build the facility itself.
Construction on some parts of the facility will be under way while other parts are still in the design stage.
The size of the facility has been scaled down to 31,000 square metres from the original size of 45,000 square metres, with room for expansion.
The province is looking for other partners to use the facility, including the RCMP.
There is also the chance the Solicitor General College in Edmonton will be moved to the facility in Fort Macleod.
The plan laid out by Oberle is to train 250 police recruits, 250 Sheriffs and Corrections officers, 250 community peace officers and 600 professional development students each year.
The plan in 2006 was to train 400 full-time recruits and 1,000 professional development students each year.
The college will include a residence that can house 270 students. That’s down from the capacity of 380 students in the original plans.
The facility will include classrooms, a shooting range, a driving track, gymnasium, running track and eating facilities.
The province is working on a governance model for the college.
Oberle also intends to develop a project team that has representation from Fort Macleod.
The Town of Fort Macleod’s engineers will be working with the province on plans to provide electrical, sewer and water services to the college site.
