Town hall tour impresses crowd
BY KIM LANGEN
It was open house again at the civic offices, and the final celebration of a beautiful job well done.
“It was great,” said the mayor for the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain, Janice Smith. “I couldn’t be happier. I heard a lot of people say that they couldn’t believe how we were able to configure it so well. And how accessible it had become. We had 60 or 70 people come through.”
Last Friday afternoon, February 9, council members welcomed the public to a second Open House. It marked completion of the renovation of the old civic offices space, this time in the south section of the 1960s building that stands at 415 Broadway Avenue.
The town hall renovations took place in two parts, over two years, with an overall budget of around $2 million. The first renovation was of the old fire hall, which was recreated to become the public area, with offices for staff.
This second phase – and Friday’s open house location – was the old civic offices component, and includes the new council chambers.
“We had our first council meeting on Wednesday, and everything went smoothly,” said Smith. “The acoustics are wonderful. We were pretty pleased. It was great to have a home, after holding meetings for so long in the Shamrock Centre. I am super proud; we are all super proud of how the renovations went. It was a two-year project, and it was everything the architect Michael Cox said it would be, and more.”
Landscaping, and some other outside jobs will be completed this spring and summer, said the mayor.
“We had budgeted for $2 million, and it actually came in under budget, at around $1.7 million. But we still have some work to do this year,” she said. “We will be landscaping the outside front area; there is some roof work to do; some work on the stairs in the front and the back; and some exterior walls on the side and the rear need attention.”
The old council chambers, which exist one floor above the present ones, have been restored for a purpose as well, added Smith.
“We have the space now for some groups to meet in what is a new boardroom, in the old chamber area, which is really useful,” she said.
OPEN HOUSE AT KILLARNEY-TURTLE MOUNTAIN – The beautifully renovated civic offices were on full display at the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain’s town hall on Friday afternoon, February 9, during their Open House event. Above, some of the many visitors who enjoyed the tour, as they perused the new council chambers. Keep scrolling to share this story below.
LANDSCAPING AHEAD – The beautiful profile of the renovated civic offices will be complemented by landscaping and garden work in front of the building later this spring and summer.
COUNCIL MEETS IN NEW CHAMBERS – Council and executive members gathered for the first time on Wednesday, February 14 (above), for a regular council meeting in the brand new municipal chambers. The second phase of the civic offices renovation is now complete, and an open house was held last Friday, February 9, to showcase the recreated areas. Assistant CAO Brittney Ross (from left), councillors Greg Erickson, Joan Kemp, Rick Pauls, Mayor Janice Smith, CAO Meghan Cuvelier Klassen, councillors Jane Ireland and Jaret Box (zooming in on the big screen televisions) were all part of the historic first meeting.