$10.8 million renovation wraps up in 2010
Mar 14, 2008 - 04:00 PM
By Jillian Follert
OSHAWA -- Parts of Oshawa’s outdated City Hall will come crashing down this summer, when a massive two-year renovation project kicks off.
Council heard Friday morning that demolition of council chambers and the rest of City Hall’s A Wing will start in June, and construction of a new council chamber will be underway by October.
It’s been a long time coming.
After tabling the issue twice because they couldn’t agree on cost or design, council voted last summer to scrap A Wing -- which contains council chambers and councillor offices -- and build a new, one-storey version.
A June 2007 staff report had narrowed council’s options down to three: do nothing, renovate the existing A Wing for $15.2 million, or build a new council chamber and renovate Rundle Tower for $10.8 million.
“Doing nothing was a very expensive option, coupled with the fact that this is an old building and we could run into emergency repairs that could increase costs even more,” Mayor John Gray said.
The $10.8-million project will also update to City Hall’s Rundle Tower, where many City departments are located.
A staff report says it can be done with no tax or debt impact by taking funds from the City’s major facility replacement reserve and using an interfund note -- which amounts to borrowing against other reserves.
Some councillors are uncomfortable spending millions on any changes to City Hall, but the majority point to a report that says leaving the outdated building would cost the City $6 million to operate over 10 years, while a new council chamber and renovated Rundle Tower would cost $5 million.
While renovations are underway, some City departments will be moved off site, starting as soon as May 1. The plan is to lease space downtown at cost of $300,000 and $400,000 for the duration of the project.
Council meetings will also have to be held elsewhere between June 2008 and December 2009.
Staff will look into alternate locations, possibly the nearby library or Arts Resource Centre.
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