ELORA – Centre Wellington staff will begin looking for a site for a new operations centre now that council has approved the option.
Asset management and capital project manager Stephanie Rossi explained to council at its committee of the whole meeting on June 21 that the current facilities are in poor repair, they don’t meet the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and they are not large enough to accommodate the needs of a growing community.
In addition, there would be savings by having many departments housed under one roof, and environmental and energy-saving features incorporated in a newly-constructed facility.
Parks and recreation, water services and public works departments, plus the IT department, would all occupy the new space.
Rossi said staff explored sharing a facility with Wellington County, but the county is not planning to build a new works garage in this community for another 10 to 15 years.
She said the Centre Wellington fire department is also seeking a new fire station and it’s still possible it could co-locate with an operations centre.
But the fire department has to comply with the National Fire Protection Association’s mandated emergency response times, so where such a centre would be located is a primary concern.
“We will have continued discussion,” Rossi said. “We see the benefits of co-locating.”
Rossi said a new facility should be in or near an industrial area so noise and traffic wouldn’t bother residential neighbourhoods.
It needs to be flat and a minimum of 20 acres. The building, once constructed, would be 54,000 square feet, with offices and meeting rooms, locker rooms for staff, a mechanics area for vehicle maintenance, and storage for road salt and sand.
With land purchase and construction costs, it is expected to ring in around $27 million.
Councillor Stephan Kitras called a centralized operations centre a want and not a need and felt the decision should be deferred.
“We are borrowing to do this,” he said.
“This is not a responsible move. We’ll be paying more money with interest.”
Councillor Bob Foster called it “a $27-million albatross” and stated the predicted cost savings hadn’t been quantified.
“You can’t pay $27 million with savings on the heating bill,” he said.
“There should be greater analysis on retrofitting the (existing) four buildings.”
Foster made a motion to defer the decision and make it a referendum question on the municipal ballot but that was defeated in a 5-2 vote.
Councillor Kirk McElwain thought the best option would be to share a facility with the county.
Treasurer Dan Wilson said the centre would be funded through development charges and selling off the existing operations facilities and would not impact the tax bill, although the township would likely have to take out a loan initially.
Councillor Steven VanLeeuwen noted the project has been on the books for at least a decade and originally was estimated to cost $10 million.
“I wish we could build it for $10 million,” he said. “At some point we need to move on this.”
Mayor Kelly Linton said he toured the existing works garages “and this is absolutely critical. They are not meeting our needs in 2021; imagine how it will be in 2041.
“This is not going above and beyond. It will be practical and efficient. Council has to take a leadership role.”
The staff recommendation – to build a new facility in two stages – was passed by council in a 4-3 vote, with Kitras, Foster and McElwain opposed and Linton, VanLeeuwen, and councillors Neil Dunsmore and Ian MacRae in favour.
Staff will now search for a suitable property.
