Chatham-Kent Council is once again set to debate the future of the Community Hub project in downtown Chatham.
During Monday night’s meeting, council will be asked to vote on whether or not the municipality will move forward with the multi-year project, which would see the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre, CK Public Library and CK Museum amalgamated into the former Sears building in downtown Chatham.
Should councillors vote to move to the next phase, a $2,177,683.46 contract will be awarded to Architecturra Inc. for the completion of the detailed designs. Another $105,839 would also be spent to hire a project manager to support the design and construction of the Community Hub. All of the funding would be allocated from the municipality’s Buildings Lifecycle Reserve.
The projected total cost of the Community Hub project is estimated at $53 million. According to the municipality, funding for the project has already been allocated and approved as part of Chatham-Kent’s 2024-2027 multi-year operating budget and it is not expected to have further financial impact on taxpayers in the future.
Following a successful motion made by Councillor Alysson Storey, deputations will be permitted during Monday’s meeting ahead of the vote.
Two additional motions made by Councillor Rhonda Jubenville will also be brought to the floor on Monday for debate. The first motion requests that the municipality conduct a referendum to allow community members to vote on the future of the multi-year project. The other motion moves that administration cease all spending on the Community Hub project, and enact the buy-back policy of the deal to purchase the former Sears property, and instead renovate the current Civic Centre.
Additional decisions on how the project will move forward will be made by council in the first and second quarters of 2025. If given final approval, construction is anticipated to begin in the third quarter of 2025 with completion expected within 18–24 months.
For more information about the Chatham-Kent Community Hub project, click here.
