By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
C-K’s downtown Chatham Community Hub project will not go beyond costs already built into the 2024-27 multi-year budget.
That’s according a report posted online ahead of the Oct. 21 meeting when council is expected to decide on moving the project into its next phase, which includes finalizing detailed plans to revamp the former Sears building into a public space.
Capital funding for the project has been allocated, the report stated, at a cost of $53 million.
However, it also stated that even if the project moves forward on Oct. 21, that isn’t the “final decision point.”
Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff agrees.
“We’ve already set aside money to do this and capital costs (for it) aren’t driving any tax increases,” he told The Chatham Voice.
“Either way, we’ve been saving up. We knew it was coming.”
Canniff is referring to the dilemma posed by costly upgrades needed to bring the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre up to snuff. It will cost an estimated $37 million to fix the King Street structure, as it needs accessibility upgrades, a new sprinkler system, as well as a new heating and cooling system.
Twice in the past, former councils turned down recommended upgrades.
“It’s just like anything else,” said Canniff. “The longer you leave it, the more expensive it is to fix.”
Under the Community Hub proposal, the hub will encompass a state-of-the-art library, brand new space for the museum/cultural centre, as well as the municipality’s headquarters.
After divesting the Civic Centre and library, the Community Hub is expected to only cost an additional $6 million.
If it turns out to be a lot more, the mayor said the municipality won’t proceed.
“If the price is crazy, we won’t do it,” Canniff added. “If we put out an RFP and it comes back that it’s way too expensive, we’re not going to do it.”
Canniff points out that there’s a great deal of misinformation circulating about the Community Hub on social media, with citizens offering up dollar values and cost figures that aren’t accurate.
One of the criticisms being levied against the hub project is that the overall dollar value doesn’t reflect the fact that Chatham-Kent Fire & Rescue Station # 1 will need a new home if the Civic Centre is sold.
Canniff said that cost hasn’t been factored into the community hub, as a new station is part of the CKFR master plan that indicates it is needed in South Chatham regardless.
“That’s why we didn’t include it,” the mayor said.
If council votes yes Oct. 21, the municipality will enter into a $2.1-million contract with Architecturra Inc. to finish the design, as well as providing $105,839 to hire a project manager to oversee design and construction.
All of the money for the hub will come from Chatham-Kent’s building lifecycle reserve, the report said.
The municipality’s webpage carries all of the information on the community hub to date.
