By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A $6.5-million upgrade is being carried out at the municipality’s Park Avenue Business Centre.
At the April 27 meeting, council approved a contract with Oscar Construction Company Ltd. for the work, as well an additional $55,000 for consulting services fees to Architecttura Inc. Architects.
Council heard from engineering services director Marissa Mascaro Amyotte that the 1950s building, formerly housing the Fram Filter manufacturing facility, was converted into an office building. Aside from a new roof in 2014, the structure has not had any major upgrades and has outdated mechanical and ventilation systems.
Currently around 70 employees work out of the centre, the director said, including most of the engineering and infrastructure department; several divisions of public works; parks, recreation and cemeteries; as well as human resources staff and community culture and connections staff.
According to Mascara Amyotte, employees will be relocated to the former John N. Given School for the duration of the contract. Field staff from the garage area will be temporarily moved to the adjacent Fleet building, and cemetery staff will be temporary moved to the Civic Centre
Some of the employees will eventually be relocated to the Chatham-Kent Community Hub when it’s completed, Mascara Amyotte said.
Funding for the renovations was budgeted in the 2025 multi-year budget. Work is expected to start shortly, with completion in 2027.
Engineering services director Marissa Mascaro Amyotte has been given misleading information about the building age. The office in the picture was new construction in the early 80’s. It was never converted from the original plant. There were some offices built into plant area for IT.
Before and during construction I was the accountant responsible for Capital Additions and was in fact one of the first employees assigned to be in the “new office” when I became the Supervisor of Cost Accounting.
The office in the picture included staff for cost accounting, director level management, purchasing.
There was also an addition to the plant but was in fact office and testing facilities for current engineering, advanced engineering, new product engineering and included a huge anechoic room (garage). Upstairs offices also housed staff for manufacturing engineering, time study, plant engineering.
The main floor of the plant addition housed several room for cooling products testing. It was built for Cooling Division and never used for manufacturing.
All of what I am describing was early 80’s. The original plant dates back to the the late 60’s to the best of my knowledge. The original plant was on William Street (Donaldson) and eventually became Superior Tool and Die.
To say the original building is from the 50’s and converted to office in incorrect.