Killarney Guide

Civic Office renovation project budgeted at $1.5 million

BY KIM LANGEN

An aging and cramped 1960s building is set to rise up into a modern build.

It’s the town’s Civic Office, located on Killarney’s Broadway Street, and a recent tour hosted by staff and council revealed the  need for change inside the degrading 1968 structure.

“The last renovation we had was probably the new carpet in the entrance, back in the 1980s,” said Janice Smith, acting mayor for the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain on Monday morning, during a tour of the premises.

The main floor of the Civic Office is just over 2,000 square feet, and with the added pressures of COVID distance restrictions, staff inside the building have been struggling to juggle people, meeting areas, and electronics in order to meet the guidelines.

“We keep reshuffling and moving machines and people to meet the six-foot requirement,” said chief executive officer Karen Patterson. “For us to meet, and having discussions, there isn’t enough room to talk about sensitive items.”

Council has repeatedly moved their own meeting location to various areas in order to meet the distancing requirements, including the civic office basement, the curling club lounge, and the Shamrock hall, they said. It has been a case of continually ‘reconfiguring.’

A plethora of other issues includes the difficult access to the building, especially the long wheelchair ramp, which rises to meet the eight-steps height to the main entrance doors. 

Washrooms inside do not meet current standards, and cannot accommodate wheelchairs or strollers, decomposing rear entrance stairs for staff are crumbling and unsafe, and a rain downspout located near these steps regularly leads to an ice sheet that staff say most of them have fallen on over the years.

“The windows are cold, and the whole building is leaky and drafty,” said Smith. “The whole building is worn and tired. This plan to renovate has been on our radar for a while. These ideas have been going around for around five to six years now, and we want to get it right. This is what we feel is the right decision.”

The $1.5 million renovation plans include the upgrading of the present Civic Office, and incorporating the area of the now disused fire hall, which was built in 1984.

The increase in space would nearly double, going from around 4,300 square feet in the current two floors of offices, to over 7,000 square feet with the addition of the space in the two fire hall bays.

“The old fire hall area will become our main entrance, and this whole front area will be fitted with east-facing windows,” said Smith. “There will be new public washrooms at the entrance, which will be wheelchair, stroller, and family accessible, and this is something we really need for the public and for people who travel into the community.”

Behind this public area in the old fire hall bays will be the new office area for staff, with slightly larger office spaces for one-on-one meetings, they said.

And the council chambers will be moved down into the basement of the old civic office. Some walls will be removed in order to create an even larger space, and room to accommodate 12 to 15 delegates or other people who may attend a council meeting. New washrooms will also be installed in the basement.

“When we have larger hearings or more delegates we can use the Shamrock Centre, and make use of that facility,” said Patterson.

The Services for Seniors office will be returned to the new offices, saving current rent costs for the municipality, she added, and the planning officer will rise up to an upstairs office. Updated heating and cooling will also add to savings. 

She added that the renovation work will include endorsing existing structures wherever possible.

“The main objective is to keep as much structure where it already exists,” said Patterson. “We have been told that this building is structurally sound, and that will help with cost savings. And we will be applying for any grants that may be available to offset costs for this project.”

For some years now, extra funds have been directed into the general reserve, earmarked especially for this project. The saving-up began back when they started building the new fire hall on South Railway, said council. 

This means they can access $900,000 of their funds from the general reserve for the civic office renovation project without taxpayer pressure.

The remaining $600,000 will be borrowed, at a rate of just 1.87 per cent, in order to avoid depleting the general reserve, said Patterson. This is good money management during a time of extremely low borrowing rates, she said.

“With interest rates so low, borrowing for a portion of the project and making payments through the general reserve will allow us the ability to maintain excellent cash flow and savings for any future projects when interest rates are uncertain,” said Patterson.

Opposition to the project has primarily been focused on two main areas, said council. 

“People have asked about roads, especially the rural roads, and asking why aren’t we putting more money into roads,” said Meghan Cuvelier Klassen, finance manager for the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain. “We have added an extra $80,000, in both 2020 and 2021, to our yearly gravel budget, bringing it up to $255,000, Also, we are very fortunate to have our own gravel, allowing us a low gravel cost. Our overall transportation budget is over $900,000 per year, including gravel, plus we have annual capital projects.”

The other main concern has been the question of embracing such a project during this difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic, said council.

“We want to show that the community can move forward during these hard times,” said Smith. “We looked at many other options; using a part of the Shamrock Centre, building onto the old Kilman Block site next door, and even a new rebuild, but the numbers were not any better. And when we asked people, they said they liked the civic offices where they are, downtown. 

“We are very pleased with our new fire hall, and we don’t want another empty building on Broadway. We are thinking 10 to 20 years down the line with this expansion; we are looking at being the hub for the area. Our population is growing, and we want to be prepared for that. We want to invest in Killarney, even when things are not so good. We are quite progressive as a council. And we are quite proud of these plans.”

A Public Hearing Regarding the 2021 Financial Plan was held at the Shamrock Centre on Wednesday, April 21, at 1 p.m. Included in this hearing was the item regarding the borrowing of up to $600,000 for the Civic Office Renovation project. Council reported that one person came and spoke regarding this item, and that the borrowing proposal was passed by council vote.

FROM FIRE HALL TO FRONT OFFICE – A major $1.5 million retrofit planned for the aging civic office and old fire hall will include turning the two fire hall bays (above) into a modern new entrance for the public area. Acting Mayor Janice Smith (right) says bright new windows will run all along the length of the east wall area, where she is standing, and a public washroom will be conveniently located inside the foyer for visitors to the civic office.

CIVIC OFFICE SQUEEZE – Above: Municipal staff are struggling to maintain the six-foot distance requirement for COVID-19 in the current Civic Office. Below, plans are to move the council chambers permanently into the basement, where a renovation will create more space for councillors and delegates, and a new washroom. 

JAY STRUTH/KILLARNEY GUIDE PHOTOS