Community Safety Office will move to new space near city hall.

Portage la Prairie council approved buying the former Portage Mutual Insurance building at 14 Tupper St. S. to house the Community Safety Officer program, funded with $700,000 from infrastructure reserves.

Portage la Prairie city council has approved buying a new downtown headquarters for the Community Safety Officer program. The city will acquire the former Portage Mutual Insurance building at 14 Tupper St. S., located behind City Hall. Officials said the program's current leased office has become overcrowded after a period of rapid growth. The program launched with three officers and has doubled in size, and has recently added a manager and administrative staff, the article reports. Key details: - City council authorized purchase of the former Portage Mutual Insurance building at 14 Tupper St. S., directly behind City Hall. - The CSO program has doubled in size since launch, growing from three officers and adding a manager and administrative staff. - Officials described the current leased office as "overcrowded," and that lease is set to expire in June. - The new building was reportedly rebuilt on the inside less than a decade ago and offers upgrades for handling sensitive files and extra equipment and office space. - The city is using $700,000 from infrastructure reserves to cover the building purchase and transfer costs. - There are no immediate plans to hire additional officers, and further expansion remains "on the radar" as the city coordinates with the local RCMP detachment. Summary: The purchase is intended to provide a permanent, visible downtown base for the CSO program and to address space and confidentiality needs. Funding comes from $700,000 in infrastructure reserves and the current CSO lease expires in June. Undetermined at this time.