The Town of Amherstburg has approved its new space needs study in principle with it carrying estimated costs of $64.4 million over a 50-year period.
The town spent $200,000 on the study, performed by Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) Workplace Consulting, with representatives Curtis Kjinserdahl and Susan Rowley requesting the plan be approved in principle with the acknowledgement that further reports come back on each of the initiatives identified within.
The plan covers a half-century and makes recommendations for the town’s facilities, with a total of 36 town-owned facilities being studied.
“We look at ensuring the town’s growth is accommodated while providing inclusive and accessible public spaces,” said Rowley.
Rowley said there was “a fair amount of assessment” part of the project, stating several buildings are in urgent need of repairs with many needing upgrades to comply with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
“Many of the town’s employees work in cramped, overcrowded and unsuitable spaces,” she said. “There’s insufficient storage, the facilities are overcrowded. There is limited spaces for public meetings and for staff to have breaks. The overarching theme of what we saw is that the facilities are not meeting the needs of the staff today and do not support the needs of the future growing population of the town.”
The consultants added they heard in a focus group session with members of town council, who stated town hall should be functional, welcoming, friendly, environmental, promote wellness, centralized, fiscally prudent and showcase the town’s history.
Recommendations included to have “a campus approach” to the town’s facility. The first campus facility mentioned would be a new town hall that would consolidate staff and services in one location.
“I will say when we were looking at these spaces, we were looking only at town-owned facilities,” said Rowley.
Six town-owned sites were reviewed with pros and cons considered, and she said after consideration, a new town hall in Bill Wigle Park was the “preferred location.”
Kjinserdahl said the criteria used to review sites looked at prime locations in the town’s centre, large enough for a civic plaza and access to public transportation. Other sites reviewed were the Libro Centre, near fire station #2, the current public works main yard, town land across from Bill Wigle Park or finding a way to use the current town hall.
The second campus facility would be to expand the Libro Centre for recreational growth while the third recommendation calls for the consolidation of parks and infrastructure services at 99 Thomas Road, the latter also being known as the former Nexen site.
“What we’re also looking for with the consolidation of these three campuses is to meet the accessibility standards, consolidate the people and the services, and address the growing population of the town,” she said.
Kjinserdahl outlined the four timeframes that exist over the 50-year window. In the 0-3 year period, doing “due diligence” on a new town hall was a priority as was vacating the basement of the current town hall and relocating staff to the fire department side once the new fire station is built. Selling fire station #3 was also identified in the initial three-year window. Initiating a “Paperlight” office program was also recommended to reduce the paper needs of staff’s work.
Recommendations in the 4-10 year window were the design and construction of a new town hall, decommissioning and selling the current town hall, relocating staff from the old town hall and “select members” from the Libro Centre and 99 Thomas Road to the new town hall, demolish washrooms at Bill Wigle Park and Toddy Jones Park, and the relocation of engineering staff from the main public works building to 99 Thomas Road. The new town hall would have public washrooms to accommodate the two nearby parks and it is the vision of the consultants to remove a stretch of Laird Ave. and connect the two parks.
In the 11-25 year window, recommendations include the Libro Centre expansion, relocating salt and a shop from a north public works yard near fire station #2 and one staff member to 99 Thomas Road, to demolish a maintenance building and salt bin and clean-up or sell a piece of this land (fire station #2 would remain), and design and construct a new office and shop at 99 Thomas Road and relocate remaining staff from the public works main yard.
The long-term 26-50 year plan would be to evaluate the town’s space needs in about 30-40 years and to earmark a site for a future bus barn at 99 Thomas Road.
There could be cost recovery through property sales and “avoided costs,” Kjinserdahl indicated, estimating selling the current town hall and the public works yard/fire station #3 on Concession 6 South could bring in $3.7 million.
Not having to repair and upgrade the current town hall for AODA requirements, Toddy Jones Park and Bill Wigle Park buildings and not repairing buildings currently at public works and the Nexen site could see avoided costs of $5.4 million, the consultants estimated.
There is a cost of $2 million to have other buildings comply with AODA standards between now and 2030, while a $12.1 million cost for capital repair costs is estimated for buildings is being estimated between now and 2048.
Councillor Diane Pouget questioned the demolition of the two washrooms in Toddy Jones Park and Bill Wigle Park.
“You’re suggesting they walk over to the corner of Sandwich St. S. and North St. That’s where you’re recommending the new town hall will be built,” she said. “They’ll probably never make it.”
Pouget said Bill Wigle Park was deeded to the town in 1949 and that if it’s not used as a park, it has to be deeded back to the federal government. Kjinserdahl said they were aware of that but “we believe there are options available to look at that further” and due diligence is required should the town hall project proceed.
Pouget also wanted to know if a transportation needs or parking study done with the removal of the piece of Laird Ave. was converted to parkland.
“That was only a suggestion. It’s the art of the possible,” responded Rowley. “Further studies would be required.”
Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb noted the town’s 36 buildings that were evaluated and wanted to know how that compares to other municipalities. Kjinserdahl said it’s more than average, but noted there are multiple structures on some sites in a campus site such as salt domes on a public works site.
Gibb said he liked seeing the “avoided costs” as “they are almost higher than the projected costs for the building.” The $27 million for a new town hall was also questioned with Kjinserdahl saying it considers a new building on a greenfield site.
Councillor Don McArthur said he hears from people who believe the Libro Centre is a good place for a town hall with Kjinserdahl stating that would be away from the town’s centre and there is not a desire to take away from parking on site for recreation needs or space from recreational expansion. The quarry nearby also puts limitations on that idea, he added.
McArthur also mentioned the issue of locating the new town hall in the former General Amherst High School building, with that presentation from Valente Developments preceding the one made by JLL. McArthur asked “if it checks all the boxes in terms of location,” with Kjinserdahl stating it was an “interesting” presentation to listen to as it was adjacent to what his firm recommended.
Councillor Linden Crain said the amount of buildings the town currently has caught his attention and that he liked the fact they are looking at consolidation.
Mayor Michael Prue said he didn’t want people “to be horrified and frightened” by the $64.4 million cost but “a huge portion of that” is over the next 50 years. He wanted the public to know the only upfront costs over the next five years is the town hall.
“Even the Libro Centre (project) is in ten years from now,” he said. “Don’t be horrified. Don’t be coming to me tomorrow saying we’re wasting $64 million. I don’t expect to be around in 2074.”
Space needs study approved in principle by Amherstburg town council
By Ron Giofu
Comments