Fort Liard (June 27/03) - In with the new RCMP detachment building and out with the old.

Although the building isn't expected to be in use until the end of the month, the official opening ceremony was held on June 19.

Members of the public, including dozens of students, toured the new building following speeches by Chief Floyd Bertrand, Mayor Lenny Hill, and Giuliano Zaccardelli, Commissioner of the RCMP.

The new $2 million structure is nearly three times the size of the old one, which was built in the 1950s.

The new location contains a conference room for meetings, two interview rooms, three jail cells, showers, an eye-wash station and breathalyser room, a full weight-room downstairs and a one-bay garage.

Independent Electric Ltd. and Nahanni Construction Ltd., both of Yellowknife, were jointly awarded the competitive contract to construct the building.

After performing a brief inspection of the building, Zaccardelli was presented with a birch-bark basket made by Fort Liard resident Karen Kotchea.

Zaccardelli, who was touring NWT communities last week, is based in Ottawa and is responsible for management and operations of the RCMP and its 20,000 employees.

Cpl. Craig Seafoot, who is in charge of the Fort Liard detachment, is quite impressed with the new detachment building.

"We're looking forward to getting into it," said Seafoot.