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Construction contract awarded for police training college

After six years of promises, planning and politics the provincial government has awarded the construction contract for a police training college in southern Alberta.

FORT MACLEOD — After six years of promises, planning and politics the provincial government has awarded the construction contract for a police training college in southern Alberta.

Bird Construction has been selected to build the $122-million college in Fort Macleod, with work to begin this summer and finish by August 2014.

Mayor Shawn Patience said the college will be a big boost to the economy of the town and the surrounding region, which largely depends on agriculture.

“This is a promise made good and there is a lot of relief and a lot happiness as people find out about this,” Patience said Wednesday. “For a small town of 3,000 people it is going to have a tremendous impact.”

The Alberta Public Security and Law Enforcement Training Centre is to train provincial sheriffs, municipal police officers, corrections guards and other security staff.

The college was first announced by former premier Ralph Klein’s government in 2006, but faced numerous delays. The project has been up and down the agendas of three different premiers and four solicitor generals over the years.