I can but wonder if some of those in opposition to the concept of shifting municipal operations, the Chatham library branch and the museum all under one roof are akin to a record stuck in a groove.
In short, some folks are just skipping, saying “no…no…no.”
The first no came in 2017 when Chatham-Kent administration came to council on Jan. 16 of that year, detailing how the Civic Centre had deteriorated.
“After significant evaluation of the current building, it has been determined that a number of core systems will have to be re-designed and replaced within a few years. While these core systems are often not clearly visible, their effectiveness and efficiency are crucial to the optimum delivery of mechanical and electrical services to the building,” the report to council stated.
It was estimated repairs would cost about $14.4 million.
However, 12 members of council – Mark Authier, Michael Bondy, Bryon Fluker, Leon LeClair, Carmen McGregor, Steve Pinsonneault, Doug Sulman, Trevor Thompson, David Van Damme, Frank Vercouteren, Jeff Wesley, and Mayor Randy Hope – voted against it.
Three years later, with a new council in place, but with many familiar faces still on hand, on Jan. 13, 2020, council again received a report by administration with a proposal for upgrades at the Civic Centre. This time, the repairs had reached $18.1 million.
“The (then) 43 year old Civic Centre is in need of major structural, electrical, lighting, window, flooring and plumbing repair, in addition to the duct work alterations required to the HVAC system,” the report to council stated.
However, councillors argued it was “completely unnecessary,” and to make the improvements would be akin to providing a “Taj Mahal for staff.”
A total of 11 councillors – Authier, Bondy, Anthony Ceccacci, Amy Finn, Aaron Hall, Jamie McGraill, Carmen McGregor, Pinsonneault, Sulman, Thompson and John Wright – voted against the improvements/repairs.
As you can see, certain elected naysayers kept right on fiddling as the conditions at the Civic Centre continued to deteriorate, and, more importantly, repair costs spiralled upward.
We say “spiral,” because costs are now pegged at about $37 million to perform the work.
In 2022, the Community Hub proposal came forward. A municipal election followed a few months later.
Fast forward to today. Council on Oct. 21 voted in favour of continuing to investigate the idea of shifting operations, the library and the museum into the former Sears building.
Those opposed were Rhonda Jubenville, Morena McDonald, Alysson Storey, Thompson and Wright.
The overlap of Thompson and Wright causes me some confusion. They were against renovating the Civic Centre four years ago (and Thompson was also against seven years ago), when it was going to be only $18 million. After letting repair/renovation costs balloon to around $37 million – on their watch – they are against leaving the Civic Centre, a building that continues to be allowed to fall apart around staff.
Saving taxpayer dollars is an important element of serving on council. Fiscal responsibility is something we all too often see lacking in government. After all, it’s not their money, right?
But what’s the message you send to the people who work for you when for years you let the workplace deteriorate around them?
Massive leaks, heating and cooling issues galore – more than five dozen issues in one year alone – damaged windows, etc., etc.
Council, in repeatedly ignoring needed maintenance, behaved more like a slumlord than a responsible boss.
They pushed it off and pushed it off, dithering rather than making a decision, and now it has come to this. Had council in 2017 or even 2020 opted to make the repairs to the Civic Centre, the Community Hub likely would not have been put on the table.
People are pointing fingers at the development team that purchased the Downtown Chatham Centre and came up with the idea to sell the Sears building to the municipality to be morphed into the Community Hub. They’re making some wild accusations over property exchanges, plans, profits and the like. But why aren’t these folks taking councillors, who ignored the Civic Centre issues for the better part of a decade, to task?
