GUELPH – Wellington County is moving ahead with the next steps to replace its roads department garages in Brucedale (in Guelph/Eramosa) and Erin, despite concerns raised by some councillors about the potential costs.
Concerns were raised by councillors Mary Lloyd and Diane Ballantyne following a report from roads committee chair Gregg Davidson at the Oct. 31 council meeting.
On the agenda was an Oct. 8 recommendation from the roads committee that county staff be directed to negotiate an agreement with Grinham Architects for the design of the Erin and Brucedale garage replacements.
Lloyd asked that this item be discussed separately from others listed in the meeting, then went on to say she would like to know the outcome of the Arthur garage replacement project – which is currently underway – before moving forward with two more such projects.
Ballantyne thanked Lloyd for raising the issue, saying she, too, wanted to address it separately.
“I think it’s important that we continue to revisit the environment we find ourselves in,” Ballantyne said, going on to name some concerning budgetary pressures.
“We know that the OPP salary negotiation finalization is going to be costing us more than $2 million, more than what we expected, which is increasing our tax levy,” she said.
She added that at the same time, funding through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund has been cut.
Ballantyne said the Erin garage is expected to cost $18.2 million, and the Brucedale garage is expected to come in at $21.7 million.
“I think that those numbers are worthy of pause,” she said.
While she acknowledged the garages may need to be built “at some point in the future,” Ballantyne suggested deferring the projects for a year or two “so we can see how all these cuts shake down to our budget.”
Other councillors disagreed.
“Delaying these projects another year is going to drive costs up,” said councillor James Seeley.
“We’re all not very happy with the costs of construction, but that’s just the world we’re in now.”
He said the current garages are aging and don’t accommodate modern equipment.
“It’s time to do them, and unfortunately, it’s going to be expensive,” Seeley added.
While Lloyd conceded the costs would likely rise if the projects were delayed, she suggested the county has “significant people issues” – including a shortage of affordable housing – that should be prioritized over garages.
“I think as a council it’s important for us to remember that we collect tax dollars from people, and we have to make sure that we’re responding to the needs of our community,” said Lloyd.
She noted $40 million “is a lot of money to specifically direct off to garages.”
Councillor Jeff Duncan suggested the garages will in fact benefit people, noting Erin’s population is expected to more than double in coming years.
“The population is going to need those garages,” Duncan said.
“Having the road infrastructure in place is one of the basic building blocks of us having a successful community.”
Ballantyne spoke up again to reiterate the need to assess priorities.
“I understand that the garages are old. I understand that the communities are growing,” she said.
“But I also would like to put forward that it’s not the only need that we have.”
She listed not just a housing shortage, but a shortage of child care and long-term care beds.
Councillor David Anderson, who chairs the joint social services committee, said he’s well aware of the social services issues the county is facing, but still supports moving ahead with the garages.
“We’re doing excellent work with the amount of money that we have,” said Anderson, pointing out the federal and provincial governments fund social programs.
Those things are not something that should be funded by taxpayers at the local level, he argued.
He also said while the garages will cost “big money,” it’s a long-term investment.
Councillor Campbell Cork, who also sits on the social services committee, agreed, saying the garages will benefit people and the work needs to be done.
“It hurts me to think that making this decision in some way is to the detriment of some of the other needs in this county,” Cork said.
Councillor Chris White cautioned council to remember the county’s core mandates, saying they include roads and bridges.
“The feds and the province aren’t going to be building these garages … It’s us that has to do this,” said White.
“There’s all of these other needs, but there’s federal and provincial partners to do those things.”
Ultimately, councillor Doug Breen stood up to remind council this was only the next step in the process.
“I think it’s great that we’re getting all these things on the table,” Breen said about the discussion.
“I think we need to take this next step, find out what it’s actually going to cost and then go from there.”
Council approved the committee’s motion to direct staff to negotiate an agreement with the architect to design the facilities, and to approve the roads committee as the building committee for the garages.
Councillors Ballantyne and Lloyd were the only ones who opposed the motion.
