LAURIE WEIR

Rideau Lakes Township will host an open house at the Ronald E. Holman Municipal Complex (Lombardy) on Wednesday, Sept. 18, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. to introduce design concepts for the municipal offices in Chantry.

Will it be a retrofit, a redesign, or a rebuild on a different site? Could it return to its former use as a garage, or serve as a hall or daycare? These are just a few of the multi-million-dollar questions still unanswered.

During a special committee meeting on Monday, Sept. 16, council members got a glimpse of conceptual designs from IDEA Inc., which provided a preliminary overview.

Coun. Paula Banks put forward a motion to cancel the open house, citing a lack of deliverables in the presentation. However, the motion was defeated. “We need an actual cost to retrofit this building,” Banks said. “If it’s too expensive, we should get a second quote for converting it into an office. I can’t see us tearing it down.”

If the township decides to keep the building, several significant upgrades will be required.

Chris Warner-Smith from IDEA Inc. presented the designs and outlined some of the building’s challenges. He recommended a rebuild on a different site, largely due to cost comparisons.

“The building performs poorly in terms of the R-value (thermal resistance) of the roof and walls,” Warner-Smith said. “Significant work would be needed, and long-term maintenance costs would be high. Energy performance will be a key factor.”

Design Options and Costs:

Option 1.1: Keep and renovate the existing maintenance garage – $3,412,000 for 795 square metres.

Option 1.2: Fully remove the maintenance garage and convert the space into staff facilities – $3,102,000 for 708 square metres.

Option 2.1: Build a new office on a different site – $3,369,000 for 708 square metres.

Option 2.2: Build new on the current site (no land purchase or legal fees, but alternative maintenance facilities required) – $3,344,000 for 708 square metres.

Banks argued that none of the options presented aligned with the spirit of council’s original motion.

“We wanted an affordable design that keeps staff here,” she said. “I don’t know how we got off track. Now we’re going to a public meeting to recommend between new and old, but that was never the purpose.”

Mayor Arie Hoogenboom asked staff to respond, stating he believed they followed council’s directions.

Chief Administrative Officer Shellee Fournier, along with Steve Holmes, the parks and facilities manager, said they had provided the architect with council’s guidance. “If we were wrong, we’ll take the blame,” Fournier said. “We asked the consultants to review the square footage requirements. This is just the starting point for conversation; it’s not meant to go to tender.”

She added that while council did not specifically request a comparison to a new build, the architect provided one for consideration.

“Council can now decide which option we want to pursue.”

Deputy Mayor Marcia Maxwell pointed out that after assessing the space, it seemed a rebuild would be more cost-effective.

“It’s not worth renovating a building that’s nearly 50 years old and has been added to and converted over the years,” she said. “We’re still left with an old building.”

Maxwell also noted public feedback on the inconvenience of traveling to Chantry for township business.

“We’re backtracking on decisions and changing course. We’re not going to meet these timelines because we don’t know what we want.”

Coun. Deborah Anne Hutchings said the report lacked financial details but acknowledged the need for public input.

“I have no problem with public consultations, but we need to represent them properly,” she said. “We have to provide all the information – all the prices.”

Warner-Smith agreed, urging that the open house be seen as a starting point for consultations.

“I believe it’s worthwhile presenting this to the public to open the discussion,” he said. “But we need to make sure the message is clear – this is the beginning of the conversation. What are the pros and cons? What are we missing?”

Coun. Linda Carr expressed concern over the lack of clarity among council members heading into the open house.

“It feels like we’re going to the public when we don’t even know what we want,” Carr said. “That scares me. People want to know where we stand, and I can’t say we’ve agreed on anything.”

Mayor Hoogenboom emphasized the importance of taking time to listen to staff and outside experts.

“More work is needed, and we’re on different pages,” he said. “Building something that isn’t supported will be troublesome moving forward.”

He added that public input is a valuable part of the process. “If we were to cancel the open house, there would be a political price to pay. That wouldn’t be well received.”